Lost
by legolasgreenleaf15
Summary: After playing basketball one evening, two girls named Winter and Sydni, along with the rest of their team, find that their locker room had been messed with again. While trying to clean it up again, Winter gets transported to Middle-Earth, with Sydni right behind her. Will they ever find their way back? Rated T because I'm paranoid. Cliché 10th/11th walker story.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! Welcome back, or if you're new, I guess it's just welcome, but anyway. I went through and got finished with the first chapter, and have started the second. I really appreciate all of the support you have given me from the older version, and now (hopefully) for the new one. So, without further ado I have one quick thing I would like to tell you. The personalities of the two main characters have changed slightly. I'm letting you all know this now so, I don't know, you all don't faint? You may proceed...**

**Update: This chapter has been edited. Previous reviews may not line up.**

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Chapter 1

**Winter's POV**

My head was pounding. Closing my eyes, I fought off the nausea and tried to focus on the game going on around me. Clutching my water bottle in one hand, I drank from it while leaning on the folded up bleachers behind me. My headache wasn't looking to lift in these next few minutes. I didn't hear the coaches call the game, proclaiming one of the teams the winner. Instead, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I slowly turned my head as someone said, "Are you ready Winter? We're about ready to start another one."

I nodded my head, finding reality. The head coach, Coach Zimmerman, was looking at me with puzzlement and concern in his gaze. My head throbbed, and I gave him a weak smile.

JJ, a senior and my team's captain, beckoned me over. It was easy to see that she wasn't very happy with me. She shot me a look that told me she wasn't going to let my little delay go for a while, then she began telling us who was going to start the next scrimmage. "Let's see." After looking at our team's roster, she continued, "Alright, why don't we have Charlie, myself, Sydni, Kristen, and Winter go?" She paused again, mulling it over, then nodded. "Yes. That's what we're going to do."

JJ led us out onto the court. I was honestly pretty surprised that she decided to put me in, but I wasn't going to argue with her. JJ wasn't the type you won an argument with.

The five of us got into position with JJ ready to jump in the middle of the court. I had her flanked left, while Charlie stayed on her right. Coach Hamilton, another coach, walked to the middle of the main circle, holding the ball. He stopped in between JJ and Kay, another senior. Looking between the two of them, he said, "First team to 5 wins."

In one fluid motion, Coach Hamilton threw the ball into the air, in the middle of Kay and JJ, then ran back to where Coach Zimmerman was standing. JJ leapt up and tipped the ball to her right where Charlie was ready to catch it. After securing the ball in her possession, she began dribbling up the court, and called out our play: Red. She watched us move, waiting for my cut to happen. It was imperative I got this right, because this would open the floor up tremendously.

Silently, I was counting the seconds in my head. 3...4... When I got to five, I took off, sprinting past JJ's right shoulder to the top of the key. Behind me, JJ did a reverse pivot and ran forward. Charlie passed her the ball, then JJ took it in for a nice layup.

Hamilton held up a finger on his right hand. "0-1, JJ's team."

The scrimmage went on nicely for a few more minutes with us now up by two. Unfortunately, Charlie fouled Kay when my back was turned. She didn't look to happy with herself, but I put my hand on her shoulder in reassurance as our teammates came to sub us out.

"Oh my gosh. I knew better," Charlie growled, beating herself up.

I turned to her. "Don't worry about it."

She looked at me. "What do you mean 'don't worry about it'? If I want a spot on varsity then I really need to watch myself." She dropped the conversation after that, but continued grumbling to herself under her breath.

The game continued to go on, and after a few minutes of watching them play, I turned to Charlie again and asked, "Hey, when are you going back in?"

"Um, probably never, because this is the last game." Charlie grinned at me, her anger completely forgotten. Sighing, I rolled my eyes, but a small smile crept to my face. Turning my attention back to the court, I sighed, and noticed we had the ball again.

Kristen was standing up at the top of the court, dribbling. She was patiently waiting for JJ to set a screen on her. When JJ got into position, she took off for the right side block, and put the ball into the net. Coach Zimmerman stood. "That's game. I'll see you all next week on Tuesday."

Coach Hamilton also stood. "Don't forget about lifting tomorrow morning at seven." A few of my teammates who enjoyed sleeping groaned quietly.

I chuckled to myself. People who weren't morning people were the best people in the morning. Sandra, or San, as everyone else called her that, turned to me. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

She nodded, amusement in her eyes. Turning away from me, she went into the locker room. A yell came from where she vanished. I ran in after her, and everyone else followed me.

What laid before us was horrid. Obviously, the guys had been in here again, and messed up our stuff. Towels were thrown everywhere, and all of our bags were turned upside down, the contents no longer in them.

Zimmerman, who had come in as well, left the room and pulled out his phone, muttering about how he was going to complain to the administration again. Hamilton was nowhere to be found, but I supposed that was okay, considering his wife had just given birth to their first child a few weeks ago.

I made my way over to my bag. It wasn't in horrible shape, I just needed to put everything back in it, like every other time our stuff was messed with. Some of my stuff, like my shoes, a sweatshirt, and some things that made my shoes smell not disgusting, were lying in a pile next to my bag. Sighing, I picked them up and stashed them into my bag.

Pretty soon, the locker room was filled with the questions of everyone else, asking if this was someone's towel, or if anyone had seen their shoes. It took a few minutes of hardcore searching, but everything from my bag was back in its spot, except for my extra water bottle.

"Has anyone seen my water bottle?" I asked.

Charlie shook her head and continued searching for her other sock. Kristen shrugged, holding up a few headbands. Sydni nodded, and pointed to the locker in the far corner. She gave me a sympathetic look, and said, "Sorry, but if it would be anywhere, it would be in there."

The far corner locker was the worst locker in the whole room. The hinges were rusting away, and it squeaked every time someone would open it. Spiders also took a fondness to that locker, and there were rumors of cockroaches. Some even said that it didn't open on occasion. Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant locker.

Taking a deep breath, I mustered up enough guts to approach the locker. Opening the locker would take more courage, but if I wanted the bottle, I'd need to just reach in there and get it. After taking another deep breath, I gripped the latch in my hand, and pulled. The locker swung open with a nasty groan, and all conversation in the room stopped. I felt the eyes of everyone on me, but they all left when Sydni said, "She's just getting her water bottle."

San muttered something, probably to JJ, "She's got more in her to even approach that thing than I ever will. Kudos to her."

A smile crept to my face as I looked into the locker. But, as quickly as the smile came, it vanished. My water bottle was jammed into the back, and there were spiders all over the bottle.

It wasn't that I was afraid of spiders per se, I just didn't like them. Gagging, I knocked them off with a few flicks, and gripped my water bottle with one hand, pulling. It didn't budge. I added my other hand and pulled harder. Still nothing. I climbed into the locker without thinking, and yanked with all of my might. Behind, me, someone accidentally shut the door.

That's when I started panicking. But, for some reason, my eyelids were shutting, and I was losing consciousness fast. I tried to say something, but it came out about as loud as a whisper. No one would hear it. My eyes shut, and my hands fell off the bottle. Then, it felt like my stomach dropped, and my body went slack.

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Something wet was falling on my back and head. Groaning, I tried to roll over, but something solid prevented me from doing so. A massive headache, worse than the one from before, took over my head, and I choked back a gasp. My eyes shut tightly, and I shifted. The heavy object beside me jabbed into my side, and I cried out. Why did I have to be by a pointy rock of all objects?

I successfully rolled over and propped myself up on my elbows. The ache plaguing my head intensified, but that didn't compare to the confusion I was feeling. "Where," I growled, "the heck am I?"

No one answered. What was I expecting, the trees to respond?

"Help." I groaned pathetically. "Where am I?" Pausing, I gasped as my head throbbed, then continued, "Save me." My voice shook with desperation.

Someone yelled off to my left. I sat up quickly, much to my head's displeasure, and called out, "Hello?"

"What!? Who is that!?" The person's voice sounded familiar, but my headache was preventing me from making a connection.

"Who are you?" I yelled. I could feel it somewhere that I knew them.

"It's Sydni," they called back, and I gasped. How did she get here?

I pushed myself up to me feet, "Are you seriou? Because it's me, Winter." I walked over to the area where Sydni's voice came from.

Sure enough, Sydni was sprawled out on the ground. "Well, this is great. I found you."

I bent down. "What are we doing here?"

One sigh escaped her lips before she went on, "After you disappeared in the locker, I went in after you."

"Oh, thanks. Now where are we?" My headache was beginning to lessen.

"I'm not sure, but my best guess would be we're outside of Bree, if I'm right in my thinking at least. We could be somewhere else though." Her brown eyes showed nothing but seriousness.

I coughed a bit. "Where's that?"

"Middle-Earth. I think we may be in the storyline of the Lord of the Rings." She looked at me, and judging on the pain in her eyes, she probably had a headache as well. "But, I could be wrong." She was probably having issues thinking straight.

"Say you're right. How do we get to Bree?" I asked, offering a hand to help her up.

She accepted it, and shrugged. "Still not sure, but I think it may be down that road we're lying in the middle of." The barest hint of a smile appeared on her face, and we set off down the path together, her leaning on the me for support, and I on her. Yet, the ever scary thought never left the back of my mind. We could very well be trapped here forever.

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**AN: So...the first chapter. It's longer than the other one, and yes, the transportation has changed. Laegwen/Sydni will not be a traveler between worlds this go-around, but she will still possess knowledge of the Lord of the Rings.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DeLacus - Thanks! Here it is! Enjoy!**

**DancingChestnut - I'm planning on the half-elf, but it's not set in stone yet. Thank you! :)**

**Doctor Legolas - Thank you! I hope you like this one!**

**I AM SHER LOCKED - Thanks! Hopefully a week or two isn't too long of a wait.**

**Update: This chapter has been edited. The previous reviews may not line up.**

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** Recap:**

Sydni and Winter got transported to Middle-Earth through the nasty locker in their locker room. They just met up with one another and are trying to head out to Bree. At least, they think they're heading to Bree.

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Chapter 2

**Winter's POV**

Sydni was a few feet ahead of me, muttering to herself. How was it that she could walk so gracefully in all of the mud while my feet just sank into it? Her feet didn't make a suctioned noise when she lifted them. It just wasn't fair!

I didn't hear Sydni shouting at me because I was too busy being angry at her for being so seemingly perfect at the moment, and then at the fact that Sydni didn't know where the heck she was going, no matter how much she said that she did. Then, there was the whole I-have-mud-in-places-I-never-thought-mud-would-get-into issue. Mud streaked my clothes, ran down my back, was all over in my hair, and coated any exposed skin, which included my face. Even though it was still raining, the mud still managed to stick to me.

A big blob of mud nailed me in the stomach, making me stagger. I didn't fall, because my shoes, which were still stuck in the mud, kept me up. For a brief moment, I was grateful for my suctioned-to-the-ground feet. When I looked down at my shirt, however, any gratefulness was destroyed. A splatter painted array of mud now decorated my torso. My eyes flicked upwards, settling into a nice glare when they found Sydni's smirking face. "What the heck was that for!?"

She had the nerve to shrug. "I needed to get your attention somehow." Her smirk began fading, much to my delight.

My pleasure didn't last long, because some not good emotion passed through her eyes. "What are you thinking? We had better not be officially lost."

She ran over and tackled me, pinning me behind a clump of dense bushes. "Shut up! I think I hear a horse."

"That's good, isn't it?" I asked.

"Not if the person riding it is something like an assassin!"

I lowered my voice to a whisper, "What if he's a good assassin?" She shot me a look. I continued, "What about Hawkeye? Black Widow? They're good assassins."

"They're also from comicbooks. Now seriously, shut up!" She clamped a hand over my mouth for good measure.

Squirming underneath her grip, I tried to free my mouth from her muddy hand. Sydni sighed, then sat on me, hissing, "Do you want to get us killed?" Shaking my head no, I stopped squirming. We laid there for a few heavy seconds, both of us listening intently for anything horse-related.

This was getting ridiculous. Finally, I spoke, "Uh, there's nothing out there."

Sydni turned on me. "Oh yes there is something out there. But, whatever it was, it's gone now."

"Oh please, you knew exactly what that thing was." I pushed myself out of the mud with some difficulty.

Sighing, Sydni turned back to the path and started walking. "Okay, maybe I know what it is. But, there's no use telling you. I'm not sure that's even what it was, and I shouldn't bother scaring you."

I snorted. "I wouldn't be scared."

Sydni stopped, and slowly turned to me. "If one did come this way, you would be scared." Straightening herself, she began walking again. "Anyway, we have to get to Bree before they leave. They're our only chance of getting home."

"Who is?" Anyone who could get us home was definitely going to have my attention.

Sydni shrugged, and didn't say anything. Yet, if I knew anything about her, she knew exactly who it was.

Just as I turned to fall in line with Sydni, I could have sworn I heard a faint scream echo through the trees.

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**Sydni's POV**

"Are we there yet?" A long period of time had passed - night had fallen since our arrival - and I could tell Winter was getting impatient. I shot her a look, then continued walking. She ran up to my side. "Seriously, are we there yet?"

I stopped and rolled my eyes. "If we were there, we wouldn't be moving forward anymore."

Winter rolled her eyes back at me. "Sorry I asked."

I took in a deep breath. At the current moment, I was regretting the whole 'let's go rescue people' thinking I was having a few hours ago. If only I hadn't stepped into that stupid locker, we wouldn't be in this mess. Or better yet, if I hadn't told Winter anything about her water bottle, we definitely wouldn't be in this mess. But a part of me knew I wouldn't have been able to live with myself had I not told Winter my suspicions. Right now, my values sucked.

"I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with something!" Winter called up to me, and I shivered.

I took a look back at her and had to admit she did look pretty miserable. Mud caked her clothes, and her hair was 100% saturated. Her frame looked even thinner than it already was with her clothes plastered to her skin. Shooting me a glare, she brought her arms tighter around her, and sneezed. Her eyebrows raised. "See? I told you."

"I'm sure you're fine." Shaking my head, I quickened my pace. There was no use in worrying her.

Winter sighed. "Well, you don't know where you're going."

"Will you stop saying that!? I know how to get to Bree!"

She put her hands on her hips. "You do not." Rolling my eyes, I turned and walked away, getting bored with our spat. "Yeah, keep walking. You really know I'm right." She was beginning to look very nice tied to a tree.

"At least I'm not the sassy one," I muttered to myself. Minutes later, our debate died altogether when time confirmed Winter hadn't heard my remark.

We walked in silence for about a half an hour or so. More puddles soaked through my shoes until I could no longer tell if I had any feet anymore. My shoulders sagged, but straightened themselves again when Winter suddenly gasped. "Sydni!"

Fearing the worst, my head shot up. "What!?" My fists were drawn, and my eyes were searching for any unseen threat. Winter sneezed and pointed.

A strangely familiar wooden structure, which resembled a gate, was a few hundred feet feet away. A small door was the only thing that gave the gate any noticeable features, but before the door was an actual road covered in a whole bunch of mud. Seeing the door canceled all negative emotions from the muddy road out, because a weight had lifted off of my shoulders, so I quickened my pace. Behind me, I heard Winter speeding up as well. She was as anxious as I was.

After crossing the muddy abyss of questionable return, we stopped before the door separating us from society, warm beds, and dry clothes. Winter hastily knocked on the door. A little window near the top opened, and the pale grey eyes of an older man stared out at us. He appeared confused, and a little wary. "What are the two of you doing out in this weather at this hour?"

"We are simply travellers who have lost their way. Might we stay at an inn?" I answered.

Mulling it over for a second, he finally shut the window, then opened the door, beckoning us in with smooth, rapid gestures. "Well, come on now. Don't be shy." While thanking the man many times over, Winter half shoved me through the doorway. He smiled at us, then closed the door.

Winter began pulling on my arm, demanding, "Which inn are we staying at?" Stopping for a moment, she shot me a look. "You will know how to get there, right?"

I nodded, and answered, "The Inn of the Prancing Pony." A confused look appeared on her face, but I ignored it and led her quickly through the small crowd of people gathering in the streets. Part of my mind wondered what they were doing awake, but then another part supposed they could think the same about us.

I really did know where I was going, because pretty soon, the sign bearing the inn's mascot hung overhead. I wanted to say something about always knowing where I was going, but I didn't have the time, because Winter had already dragged me inside.

The bar inside was a cozy little place, with lots of wooden tables, chairs, and barstools. The language I could hear the most, which was louder than the rest, was in English, but my ear also picked up some Elvish. My pulse quickened. There were Elves present, and I could sort of understand what they were saying, which told me a few things: the one week full of long Quenya and Sindarin classes had paid off, and what I heard made sense. One was talking about their homeland, while another was explaining how they held a bow.

There was also a decent number of drunk men, which was expected, since we were sort of in a bar. An older man actually passed out on his stool, while a few other younger men were heading that way. The majority were just toasting to their health.

In front of us, the inn's keeper was staring at us expectantly. "Can I help you?" Something in his tone told me that he had been asking that for a while.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly, then continued on to business. "We're just staying for a while. May we have a table?"

He looked us over, but it wasn't in a creepy way. Peering at us closer, he said, "I don't know where the two of you come from, but those clothes aren't anything I've ever seen before." Reaching behind the counter, he pulled out two stacks of clothes. "Here you are. Don't know if they'll fit, but it's better than nothing."

Relief washed over me. The last thing we needed was questions. "How much do you want for them?"

He shook his head. "I don't want anything. I've been trying to get rid of those." He pointed down the hall. "You can change in the first room on your left."

I thanked him many more times before Winter dragged me away to get changed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Taralia-Rebelle-Sky - Thanks!**

**DancingChestnut - Oh thank you! That makes more sense than what I had... Though, I've gotten rid of that part in chapter 2 after I edited everything, but I still thank you so much! I can't thank you enough! :)**

**Doctor Legolas - Thank you so much for always reading this! I appreciate all of your help as well! :)**

**Airlya - I wasn't satisfied with where my other version was going, and I couldn't follow any of my rabbit-trails of ideas.**

**Update: This chapter has been edited. Previous reviews may not line up.**

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**Recap:**

After finally finding Bree, Winter and Sydni go to the Inn of the Prancing Pony. There, they receive clothes from the bartender so people don't judge them based on their weird clothing.

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Chapter 3

**Sydni's POV**

Winter shut the door behind us. Looking around to make sure we weren't intruding on people in case we got the wrong room, I noticed that said room was really just a storage room. It was dimly lit, and there were storage boxes scattered all over the floor, but most were neatly placed in towers against the walls. A few boxes were open, all of which containing mugs, so I assumed they went through those a lot.

Winter threw off her shoes, then peeled off her socks. When I looked over at them, I cringed. They used to be white, but were now a gross brown color. I also pulled off my shoes, but my socks were just wet, seeing as how they were originally black. Sighing, I made to take off my wet clothes.

They hit the ground in wet splatters, and I moved them into a single pile. I would worry about them later. I grabbed my new dry clothes from the dry part of the rough wooden floor. The pants were on top, so I pulled them on, smiling at how dry they were. Sure they were dark grey, but the matching black shirt kind of made up for it. Black was a good color in my eyes. Turning around, I assessed how it all fit. The shirt was okay, but the pants were a bit big.

"Hey, my pants are a little small. You want them?" Winter asked. Nodding, I took off my pants and threw them at Winter, who grunted when they hit her. She nicely tossed the other pair at me, which I caught easily and pulled them on. Sure the outfits were exactly the same, but at least we looked normal.

There was also a pair of sturdy boots and a cloak for each of us as well, which was an added blessing. I shoved my feet into the boots and wiggled my toes a bit to see of they would be okay. My toes felt okay. The cloak seemed really big, but when I draped it across my shoulders, it wasn't too bad. It was actually really warm.

"So," I said, turning to Winter. She was still putting her boots on. "I think that we'll just ditch our clothes here. Hopefully, if we get back home, we'll appear in them. For the plan, I'm going to do all of the talking. Basically, we're going to try to get a midget named Pippin to tell us about his cousin Frodo."

Winter paused. "What kind of names are those? And why are you going to do all the talking?" She looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, "Do they serve water here?"

Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "Those names are normal here. I know what to say to the hobbit to trigger the correct reaction. And yes, I do believe that they serve water here."

"Oh good. I was beginning to feel faint." Winter dramatically put a hand over her heart as if she were fainting.

"My goodness. Let's just go." Grabbing Winter's hand, I pulled her out of the storage room. Hopefully the bartender wouldn't mind us leaving our useless clothes there.

Turning towards the main room where everyone was drinking, we stood on the edge and I looked for the hobbits while Winter looked for a place to sit at the bar. She jostled my arm. "Hey, we could go over there."

Where she pointed was one of the less busy spots, but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there. In fact, there were three open seats all in line surrounded by flocks of people. After shoving through the crowd, we made it to the counter and sat down, Winter by some heavy drinkers and me between her and the empty seat. She leaned over and asked, "Switch me please?"

Laughing, I shook my head. "Sorry, but no. I've got to be the one to talk with Pippin."

Winter rolled her eyes. I'd noticed we did that a lot. Putting her hand up, she flagged the bartender down, and smiled sweetly. "May I have a water?" Nodding, he left to go serve the other drinks he carried.

Nothing really happened for a few minutes. I didn't see the hobbits anywhere, but I did see Strider smoking in the corner. He stared intently at something, but when I looked to see what it was, someone blocked my view of it.

Barliman Butterbur came back with Winter's water. She thanked him, then gripped the cup with both hands. I peered over at it, and thought it looked more like ale, but Winter wasn't hesitant. She sniffed it, shrugged, then took a small sip. The most horrid expression appeared on her face, and she cringed. After somehow managing to swallow, she gasped, "Not water." Pulling it closer to myself, I smelled it, then pushed it back hastily. Definitely ale.

Behind me, the guy who blocked my view before gave a hearty laugh, then left. Turning around again, I could still see Strider in the corner. He hadn't seen me because the guy was too focused on that thing. After a few seconds, I realized that he was probably staring at Frodo. That meant the hobbits were here. When I turned around again, the first thing I noticed was Winter, who was snapping her fingers in my face.

"Ah, there you are. Now, I don't want to draw your alarm, but this short guy just sat down beside you." Pointing behind me, I turned again to see Pippin seated on the stool beside me.

"I'd like a pint," he said to Butterbur, who nodded. While he waited, he looked around the bar nonchalantly. This was my chance.

"So," I said awkwardly. "What are you doing around here?"

Pippin turned to look at me, his tight brown curls moving around as he did. "Oh, a group of friends and I are waiting on a friend who should have been here."

Nodding, I asked, "Where are your friends now?" Turning, he pointed over at them. Only to look semi-interested in them, I said, "Do you know a Baggins? One of them looks like he could be one."

"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins." Pippin turned around and pointed at Frodo. "He's over there, Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side." He continued droning on about how he was related to Frodo, and then took a drink of his ale, which had been placed in front of him moments earlier.

Frodo came up behind him and spun him around. "Pippin!"

"Steady on, Frodo!" Pippin shoved him off, and spilled some of his ale.

What happened next seemed to move in slow motion. Frodo tripped over the leg of my chair and fell, landing on the dirty ground. Something golden flew into the air, then began falling to Frodo. It landed on his finger, and then he vanished. In the corner of the room, Strider's chair squeaked, and there was a gasp of astonishment rippling through the room. People started gasping and pointing, but Strider pushed himself through everyone to Frodo, who had pulled his ring off by now and could be seen hiding under a table. Strider clapped him on the shoulder, then threw him up some stairs.

"That was the reaction you wanted, right?" Winter asked. Nodding, I pushed myself off of my stool and followed where the hobbits had disappeared.

We tore up the stairs, but I winced when some creaked. Ahead of us, the other three hobbits stopped at a door above the bar and went barging into the room after Frodo. I called to Winter, "Follow them!"

Sprinting down the hall was possibly the funnest thing I had done in a long time.

Strider was about ready to close the door, but I put my arm in front of it. Gesturing to Winter, I panted, "Please help us. All we need is help getting to Rivendell. Besides, she's sick." Winter, who always had perfect timing, sneezed.

He sighed, "Nothing after that."

I could tell Strider wasn't using all of his strength because I easily pushed the door open. "Thank you! I promise it's only to Rivendell." I let myself in and sat down in the corner. Winter followed suite.

The hobbits just looked at us warily. Pippin was brave enough to ask, "Have I seen you before?"

I shook my head. "Never."

* * *

**Winter's POV**

My eyes snapped open. The creaking of the floorboards echoed against my ears again, making it nearly impossible to fall asleep. Beside me, Sydni's chest rose and fell in time with her steady breathing. As tired as I was trumped the amount of jealousy I could have harbored. It was at times such as this when I wished I wasn't a light sleeper.

Outside the window, the night was a quiet one. Strider's deep breathing came from the chair near the window. I thought he was also asleep until I looked up at him, watching him turn his head ever so slightly out the window every do often. He was watching for something, but as for what it was, I didn't know.

I was grateful for him for a moment. Despite the danger he was watching for, he still allowed Sydni and I to accompany his company to this place called Rivendell (whatever and wherever that was). When we got to Rivendell, then we'd need to stay there, unless we felt brave enough to go out alone again, which I doubted because Sydni absolutely stank when it came to directions. Besides, Strider had told us about the elves living there, and they sounded really sweet and peaceful, like deer wandering around forests.

When I told Sydni about my take on the elven race, she stared at me with an expression that made me feel rather stupid. She began telling me about all the battles they fought in, the Valar, the fact that they were immortal, graceful, and that they could be downright dangerous. So much for the deer.

Beside the small window, Strider sat up in his seat, his face grim. Seconds later, the hobbit named Sam sat up, and high pitched screams filled the air. Beside him, the other hobbits sat up, breathing heavily. I looked over and was shocked to see Sydni was not there, but relief coursed through me when I saw her walking to the window. Confusion settled in; how hadn't I seen her get up?

The one named Frodo - I knew it was him because his eyes were bluer than the rest, and his curly hair was darker - asked, "What are they?"

A scream followed the question as Strider turned toward Frodo. "They were once men. Great kings of men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will." He looked out the window for a moment, then back to Frodo. "They are the Nazgûl, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."

His words echoed in my head for a while, pushing through all of the other questions swimming through my head. When I was back on Earth, my friends would draw up fake pentagrams and sacrifice five people while setting a fake beast on someone to be hunted for sport. Normally, the person being hunted was me, but it was all fake there. Here, Frodo was the one hunted by beasts, but to make matters worse for him, they were real, and there were nine of them.

A small amount of fear settled on Frodo's face, but Strider looked back out the window. "Get some rest. We set out at dawn."

One thing I couldn't get out of my head as I laid back down was the shrill shrieking. A chill went through me as I remembered it from the forest outside of Bree. Maybe Sydni was right. Maybe I would be afraid when I saw one.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow. I have been gone for quite some time... I guess this is proof enough that I'm not dead. I'm not dying either.**

**I did put this story on hiatus for a while in case some of you didn't know that and we wondering why the heck I wasn't updating. I feel really bad about my disappearance, but I'm here for now. I don't know when things will come up again. As for updates, those will be rocky. Whenever I have time is when they'll show up.**

* * *

** Recap:**

After getting changed, Sydni comes up with the brilliant plan of triggering a panicked Frodo reaction, which is completed by getting Pippin to reveal Frodo's true identity. Eventually, the duo gets to bunk with Strider and the hobbits at the Inn, seeing as how Strider allowed them to join them to Rivendell.

* * *

Chapter 4

**Winter's POV**

Sure enough, dawn had arrived. After being rudely woken up from a blissful sleep, I found myself outside in the freezing cold with only a cloak to keep me warm. I really didn't have the whole cloak-wearing technique down, because no matter what I did, it always blew away from me, releasing any of the warmth I had.

What made things all the more horrible was the fact that Strider said we had to be very quiet. That meant little to no complaining. As bad as complaining was, it was how I vented in situations like these. Strider had taken away my only way to cope with all of this!

I was tempted to ask Sydni what to do, but hesitation stayed my voice for a few reasons. First of all, Strider would be on me faster than a puma on its prey. Secondly, I had a good feeling I knew Sydni's answer, which would be 'Stop whining and find something else to do'. And lastly, my cloak was taking up most of my time.

After determining the fight with my cloak futile, I sighed, trying not to give in to my other enemy: exhaustion.

Frodo's voice popped up, disturbing my thoughts, "Where are you taking us?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Strider replied, "Into the wild."

As we climbed upwards, we passed more trees and rocks than I could count. Turning to Sydni, I decided to ignore Strider's instructions, and quietly murmured, "Will Strider let us take breaks?"

She smirked and whispered, "Not likely."

"What's the smirk for?" I snuck a glance up at Strider. He didn't appear to have heard us.

The smirk broadened. "No reason."

Throwing my hands up, my eyes closed as I sped up, completely and utterly done with Sydni. What the heck did she mean? Maybe, when she was feeling nicer, I would ask her about all of this later. Though, the chances of her actually divulging in information were slim, because I think she enjoyed holding things over my head. Some people.

Before I realized it, I nearly bumped into the cluster of hobbits. Looking past them to Strider, I noticed they were only a few feet behind him. Turning back to Sydni, I noticed she was at least 10 feet behind the hobbits. We must have had a slow walking pace.

"How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" One of the hobbits, Merry I think his name was, whispered to Frodo.

"We have no choice but to trust him," Frodo replied. All the same, Frodo shot Strider a hesitant look, as if he was unsure of the fellow. I could hardly blame him. Strider did seem a little rough at the bar.

"But where is he leading us?" Sam asked, just a little too loudly. Apparently the hobbits weren't informed of the destination. Then again, Sydni and Strider were speaking in quiet voices when the whole 'take us to Rivendell' discussion went on.

"Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the house of Elrond." Aragorn must've heard him.

"Did you hear that?" Sam said excitedly. "Rivendell. We're going to see the elves!"

* * *

I grumbled curses under my breath. Why did we have to bump into small patches of snow? Just because I was named Winter didn't mean I had an automatic liking for all of the things that came with the season. Granted, they weren't big patches, but all the same, snow was snow.

"What are you mumbling about?" Sydni asked. When I turned to look at her, I noticed she was enthralled with the scenery. She was beginning to weird me out.

Shrugging, I pushed those thoughts aside. "I don't like snow."

"Don't like snow? That's weird, since your-," she started to say.

"Yeah, yeah, my name is Winter," I huffed. "That doesn't mean I have to like snow, let alone the season winter, okay?"

Sydni appeared to be amused with me. Her delight simply fueled my bad mood.

About a foot ahead of us, Strider stopped to look around. When he didn't hear any other sets of footsteps behind him, he turned, looking confused. "Gentlemen," he said. I turned to see what he was looking at. The hobbits had stopped and had swarmed the pony, but were looking at Strider. He went on, "We do not stop until nightfall." Their faces took on expressions of confusion. In their eyes, what they were doing was probably normal.

Pippin had enough courage to ask, "Well, what about breakfast?"

Strider appeared confused now. "You already had it."

"We've had one, yes," Pippin replied, "but what about second breakfast?" Strider just looked at them funny and continued walking.

"Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," his friend Merry said.

Pippin looked even more confused, and maybe even a little concerned. "What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?"

Merry stopped and simply looked at Pippin. "I wouldn't count on it."

From above the hobbits were standing, they couldn't see Strider digging through his bag to pull out apples. Lifting his arm above his head, he threw an apple down to Merry, who caught it with ease. Merry shot Pippin a look, pat Pippin on the shoulder a few hearty times, then started walking, leaving the other hobbit behind to be pelted with his apple. Pippin simply stepped back in shock when the apple hit him.

Up ahead, Merry yelled, "Pippin!"

"Are those two close?" I asked Sydni when we started moving again.

She sighed. "Very."

I had another question. "Do all hobbits have about seven meals?"

She nodded. "Yes."

If we never got back home, I knew exactly who I was going to hang out with.

* * *

More grassy plains passed by, some decorated with the occasional boulder. This landscape was beginning to get dull. Seeing as how we'd been walking for at least forever, I'd lost track of the days, and was in dire need of entertainment. We could have been walking for months for all I knew. Looking up, I saw that the sky was grey and overcast. It kind of set a dreary mood on everything. Then again, the snow was gone, so that was a plus.

Right in front of us, Strider stopped and looked at this ruin on a hill. Sydni stopped me from crashing into him with the jerk of her arm. Strider looked at the structure for a few moments before saying, "This was the great watchtower of Amon Sul." He turned around to the rest of us. "We shall rest here tonight."

I almost cried out with relief. Another break. Sure, the floor was going to be rocky and hard, and possibly cold, but we'd at least get sleep. My sore back tomorrow morning would be worth it. But, the bad part was we had to climb up to the spot. The rocks we were instructed to climb were relatively set in their place, but there was the occasional one that moved. Needless to say, if Sydni wasn't climbing behind me, I probably would have died.

When we finally made it to the top, I, along with all the hobbits, threw the bags we were told to carry down, then sat on the rocky floor with a sigh. Only Strider and Sydni stayed up, but Strider was like our leader, so it wasn't weird for him. Sydni was just acting weird. In fact, ever since we left Bree, she'd been acting slightly different. Like, she was a little calmer and a little wiser, and it may just be me being delusional, but she looked a little taller standing near Strider. Then again, I was tired, cold, and sleepy, so I could have imagined all of it.

Eventually, Strider came back from the edge and gathered around the hobbits. He silently uncovered four small scabbards with swords in each. "These are for you." He tossed them to the hobbits. "Keep them close." Standing, he wrapped up the blanket he used to conceal the swords. Before he left, he said, "Stay here."

"Why don't we get swords?" I whined to Sydni.

She smiled. "Oh, you know, he's probably never heard of us. He wasn't expecting us in the beginning, and we don't even know how to use swords." I rolled my eyes at her. I hated it when she was right. Sniffing, she curled up, mumbling, "I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me when Strider gets back."

"Sorry, but I'm getting some shut-eye as well." I murmured, then curled up in a similar position, draping part of my cloak over my legs.

* * *

There I was, sleeping peacefully until the cries of Frodo woke me up, nearly scaring me to death. "What are you doing!?" Rolling over, I was about ready to yell at him for disturbing me, but stopped when I saw the fire. What idiot made a fire in the middle of the night? Even I knew not to do that. What the heck were they thinking? It was a miracle we weren't dead. Frodo stomped over to the fire. "Put it out, you fools! Put it out!" Frodo began stomping the fire out with his feet.

"Oh that's nice, you got ash on my tomatoes!" Pippin cried. The screams I kept hearing echoed through the air after he finished yelling.

Sydni, who was watching the scenery before us, quickly turned and shouted, "We have to leave now!" By now, the hobbits had put out the fire and were crowded around the edge, all looking down. More screams filled the air, and gave me another headache. She growled in agitation, and cried, "Move it! They've found us!"

The hobbits pulled out their swords, and Frodo shouted, "You heard her. Go!"

We all sprinted towards the steps leading upward to the top of the tower. The only thing that would do is trap us, but that also meant more steps for the NASCAR-wraith-rings things. With a sigh, I figured I'd never get that name down.

The hobbits clustered in the middle of the stone platform, while Sydni and I resorted to climbing the dead tree on the perimeter and hoping they wouldn't find us. "What do we do if they find us?" I asked, voicing my concerns. For once, Sydni didn't have an answer. How reassuring. Mumbling, I groaned, "Where's Strider when you need him?"

"Just wait," was Sydni's reply.

By the time we made it to the top of the tree, five cloaked figures dressed in all black advanced down the stairs and made their way to the hobbits. Sydni was totally right. Those things were terrifying. Luckily for us, they seemed to only be interested in the hobbits. At least, they were for now.

Sam screamed, "Back you devils!" His sword clashed with one of the Grim Reaper's. The cloaked figure simply knocked him aside, leaving Pippin and Merry to form a two-person wall in front of Frodo. Terror was plainly written in both of their eyes. They too were knocked aside, leaving poor Frodo to drop his sword and back up while tripping over his own feet. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small golden object, not unlike the one from the bar, and slipped it on his hand. He disappeared instantly.

The figures shrieked, and let's just say that didn't help my headache. The one in front drew his sword, but reached out to where invisible Frodo may have been. Something may not have gone as planned, so the lead figure stabbed the air where he had previously reached out to. A cry of pain erupted from the spot. Frodo was definitely there.

A new cry emerged, but it was more defiant than Frodo's cry. I turned to see Strider leap off the stairs to defend Frodo. His sword was drawn while he held a torch in his other hand, and he looked pretty fierce.

Suddenly, Frodo was visible again, and Sam took immediate notice, seeing as how Frodo was still screaming. "Frodo!" he yelled as he leapt to his friend's aid.

Meanwhile, Strider was using his torch to set the hooded things on fire. They screamed when the flames touched them, and were immediately ablaze moments later. When one advanced to Strider's back, he turned and threw the torch at him, and it hit him in the stomach. He would also take swings at them with his sword. Pretty soon, the last one disappeared in the gathering fog.

Frodo was still groaning on the ground, and Sam turned around, yelling, "Strider!" Sydni and I took this as our cue to leap down from the tree. Strider knelt beside the cluster of hobbits, and Sam moaned, "Help him, Strider."

Beside Frodo was a nasty looking sword. Strider picked it up, examining it. "He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade." The blade dissolved, and Strider threw down the hilt. "This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine." Frodo cried out in protest when Strider gathered him in his arms.

Looking over at Sydni, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to process this. With these things after us, I wasn't sure we'd make it to Rivendell alive anymore.

* * *

**AN: That turned out to be a longer chapter. I also don't know how good that was, considering this is my first update in about 4 months. But, that is not an excuse for the poor content though. Okay, now that I read it, it kind of sounds like an excuse, but it's not meant to be. I hope you catch my drift here.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: What is this? Another update? You bet!**

**Doctor Legolas - Thanks! It was a fun one to write! Enjoy! :)**

**DeLacus - Thank you! Here you go! :)**

* * *

**Recap:**

The Nazgul just attacked the hobbits, and Strider came and set them on fire, but alas, Frodo was stabbed by a Morgul blade and needs to get to Rivendell.

* * *

Chapter 5

**Sydni's POV**

It had grown considerably darker since Weathertop. I wasn't sure if it was from the dense forest we were traveling in, but I was struggling to see all of the tree roots in my path. Strider and the hobbits all had torches, but they were either too far away, or nearly burnt out. I had been elected to bring up the back, so their lights weren't bright.

"Hurry!" Strider yelled, and the screams of the Nazgul filled the air.

Sam, who was close to Strider, cried, "We're six days from Rivendell. He'll never make it!"

I wasn't quite sure how I had heard him, but up at the front, Frodo grunted quietly. Strider murmured, "Hold on Frodo." Usually, I wouldn't have been able to hear something that faint. Maybe Middle-Earth's atmosphere was rubbing off on me.

Whatever it was, it was making me feel rather strange, as if I'd gotten taller or something. Then there was the tingling sensation on my ears. But when I'd reach up to feel them, there wasn't any difference.

Another scream filled the cool air, and it pulled me from my thoughts. I'd need to figure all of this out later.

* * *

When Strider believed us to be a semi-safe distance away from the Nazgul, we stopped for a quick break. Sam had crouched by Frodo, who wasn't looking good at all. Frodo was gasping for breath like a fish out of water would do. Sam turned to Strider. "He's going cold."

Strider, Winter, and I were spaced out on the perimeter of the small clearing we had stopped in. I was looking for possible Nazgul, while Winter was just walking around trying to entertain herself.

Pippin looked distraught. "Is he going to die?"

Strider turned, and murmured, "He's passing into the Shadow and will soon become a wraith like them."

Another scream had filled the air, and Merry looked up. "They are close."

Strider walked over to the hobbits clustered around Frodo, leaving Winter and me out on the edge. "Sam, do you you know the athelas plant?"

Sam looked confused. "Athelas?"

"Kingsfoil?" He asked again.

Sam nodded. "Kingsfoil? Aye, it's a weed."

"It may help to slow the poison." Strider murmured, and walked by him. "Hurry." Sam tore off, carrying his torch.

Winter turned to me and murmured, "It may help?"

Nodding, I didn't take my eyes off the forest. "Yes. Frodo needs Elvish medicine, remember? There isn't much Strider can do."

Strider and Sam disappeared from the clearing, and I heard Winter move over to the hobbits. She comforted them in a low voice, telling them that Kingsfoil would work, and that Frodo would be okay.

The soft thumping of a horse sounded behind me, and I turned quickly. Expecting it to be a wraith, my feet propelled me over to Frodo, but when the horse broke through the clearing, I immediately relaxed.

Arwen slowed her horse and dismounted with a grace so pure that I was in awe. Her footsteps were absolutely silent, and she knelt beside Frodo, murmuring some soothing words in Elvish.

The hobbits were also in awe of Arwen, and Merry mumbled, "Who is she?"

Arwen and Strider leaned in closer, with Strider ripping apart his herbs. Sam, who was standing beside Merry, replied, "She's an elf."

Her aura was calming, and it felt nice. Except, the feeling was so familiar that it felt like I had been around her many times. In reality, this was the first time I had ever seen a three dimensional Arwen.

She murmured to Strider, "He's fading." Strider simply uncovered his wound, and applied the Kingsfoil. She went on, "He's not going to last. We must get him to my father." They gathered Frodo in their arms. "I've been looking for you for two days."

Pippin asked, "Where are you taking him?"

His question was ignored as Arwen went on. "There are five wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know." Then, they switched to Elvish again.

Pippin asked, "What are they saying?" Again, his question was ignored.

Arwen ended the discussion by saying, "I do not fear them."

Strider squeezed her hand, and let her mount the horse. "Arwen, ride hard. Don't look back." Arwen murmured a few things in Elvish to her horse, then they were off, disappearing in the gathering mist.

"What are you doing? Those wraiths are still out there!" Sam yelled. Strider simply stared after Arwen and Frodo, unable to do anything.

* * *

After what felt like forever, we finally arrived in Rivendell. There was such a soothing feeling to the place that made me feel like it wasn't real, but I knew it was. The architecture was magnificent, and the designs on the railings and buildings seemed to weave into each other flawlessly. There were beautiful arches and benches sprinkled around the walkways, and in the background, the trees swayed slowly. All the while, it felt like time slowed down. If only I had a book.

The dull roar of the many waterfalls accompanied me while I strolled through the city. Winter quietly walked beside me, trying not to tear apart the dress Elrond's people had given her. I thought it suited her fine. The soft green fabric really brought out her eyes, but she didn't think so.

My own dress continuously brushed against my legs, but I didn't mind. The light blue material was rather soft. Our old clothes from Bree had gotten itchy after a while.

"Well, what do we do now?" Winter asked quietly.

I sighed. I wasn't sure we'd even make it this far. "Well, there'll be a secret council meeting sometime, and the hobbits are going to know about it. We'll need to go to that meeting."

Winter looked at me. "How will we do that?"

"I don't know yet." I shrugged. A few leaves fell in my hair, which had gotten considerably longer since Bree. I also towered over Winter, and my ears were still tingling. What could that mean?

Then it hit me. I stopped dead in my tracks, my breaths becoming shallow. Winter also stopped, and looked concerned. "What is it?"

"I need to find Elrond." I said quickly before turning around and running on the opposite direction.

* * *

I eventually found Elrond walking along a balcony by himself. Stopping before I knocked him over, I nodded my head in his direction and asked, "May I talk to you for a moment?" Elrond simply nodded, and gestured for me to walk beside him. Swallowing awkwardly, I pressed on. "Well, something weird has been happening to me. It's like this weird feeling, like I've gotten taller. My hair also grew a lot, and my ears tingle." I looked over at Elrond, expecting him to look at me as if I were stupid. "Well, I think I'm an elf."

Way to be blunt there.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Yes. You are of elvish decent. I believe your mother was an elf as well."

"My mother?" That confused me. As far as I knew, she was always a mortal on Earth.

Elrond nodded. "She was born an elf here, but died many years ago. She must have been spared by the Valar. Her name was Rivorndes." A heavy silence fell upon me. I was an elf. Yet, was my father really my father? Elrond seemed to read my thoughts, and nodded. "Your mortal father is your real father."

That made me a half-elf. That seemed so ridiculously huge, yet so small all at the same time. Everything made sense now. I thanked Elrond silently, then left in search of Winter. She'd need to know.

One thought crept from the corner of my mind. Was I meant to stay here forever then?

* * *

I finally found Winter seated on a bench near the waterfalls. She was looking at the ground, scuffing her shoe. I didn't think she heard me approach, because she jumped when I touched her shoulder. She looked up, shocked. "Did you find El Rind?"

"It's Elrond. And yes, I did." I hesitated, not sure how she'd react to this.

"So," she said, slightly concerned now, "how'd your discussion go?"

"Well, I'm-." I couldn't find the right words to say. "I'm, uh, well." I cleared my throat. "Er, I'm an elf." I looked down, not really wanting to see her expression.

Instead of laughing, she remained quiet. When I looked up, she looked thoughtful. "I guess that would make sense, seeing as how you continuously grew taller on our way here." A huge sigh of relief escaped me. She believed me. But, she wasn't done. "How, exactly, are you an elf?"

"My mother was born here, and then died here and was probably spared by the Valar or something. I'll need to ask her for the story." I sat beside her, shrugging.

"Is your dad still your dad then?" She asked, and I nodded.

We say in silence for a while, neither really having much of anything to say. I supposed we were both watching the waterfall. The silence didn't last long, because the three hobbits passed by us, all three looking extremely guilty.

Standing, I moved to block their path. "What are you up to?" Sam looked down, sheepish. Merry looked away and began whistling, but Pippin held my gaze, his guilt deepening. I sighed. "Well?"

Pippin was brave enough to respond. "Well, you see, Frodo was summoned to a secret council, and we were going to go listen to it in secret."

Merry looked at his cousin incredulously. "Why did you tell her?" Pippin simply shrugged.

I turned to Winter, and saw we were both on the same page. She stood, walking over. "You know, we could go tell El Rind-."

"Elrond," I coughed.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We could go tell him you were going to listen in."

Sam shook his head earnestly. "Please don't-."

"But," she interrupted, "we won't if you allow us to tag along."

The three hobbits turned to each other, each murmuring quietly. They threw us glances every so often, then broke their team huddle. Pippin nodded at the same time Merry said, "Let's go then."

I shared a smile with Winter. She was so good at things like this.

* * *

**AN: So, this chapter was shorter, but was basically a filler, because I didn't want to have a ridiculously long chapter with the council in it quite yet. That's next chapter. **

**Also, the whole 'your mother was an elf and disappeared' idea was something I was kind of on the fence about. I wasn't sure of how stable that idea was, but I couldn't find anything better to use. If you have any ideas for something better, I'm totally open to them, granted I'm allowed to use them. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I AM SHER LOCKED - It's nice to see you! Thanks! It sounds okay then? Phew, thanks. Here's the update! :)**

**DeLacus - Thank you! :)**

**Doctor Legolas - Glad you're not suspicious anymore. Well... Mostly not suspicious. Although, I'm glad I made you smile! That made me smile! Here's another chapter! :)**

* * *

**Recap:**

After they got the hobbits to Rivendell, Sydni takes her concerns to Elrond. Turns out she's a half-elf. Winter and Sydni snuck off with the hobbits to listen in on the council.

* * *

Chapter 6

Sydni's POV

Beside me, Pippin wouldn't stop whispering to himself. I rolled my eyes and smacked him gently. He looked at me, appearing confused. "What was that for?"

"Be quiet! The whole point of secretly eavesdropping is to remain a secret! We don't want the whole council breathing down our necks because we were listening in." I gripped the bridge of my nose, and exhaled silently. I could sense Pippin grinning up at me sheepishly.

Pippin, Winter, Merry and I were hiding behind a few pillars behind the council. I didn't know where Sam was. As long as he didn't blow our cover early, he was just fine, wherever he was.

Meanwhile, Pippin was looking over at Merry, who was behind a different pillar with Winter. Merry had a wicked grin on his face, and I could only assume Pippin wore a matching one.

Lord Elrond, who was the closest to our hiding spot, began the council. "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands on the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this one fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring. Frodo?"

I could hear Frodo's footsteps, which were nearly as light as my own were now. Then, with a little 'cling', he set the Ring down in the center of the council. Most of the people seated started gasping and muttering to themselves. Frodo went to sit back down, and I heard him sigh. He was probably trying to calm his nerves, or was expressing relief.

"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor," Boromir's chair creaked, signalling that he had stood up. "Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against them!" He sounded as if the best idea in the world had only just come to him.

Smiling to myself, I whispered aloud, "Just like a kid in a candy store."

Pippin turned to look at me. "I have no idea what that meant, but how come you get to talk and I can't?"

"I don't know." I grappled around for an excuse. "I'm taller than you."

He looked confused, and a little offended. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head. "Never mind." Shrugging, Pippin turned his attention back to the council. Within moments, my insult appeared to have been forgotten.

"You cannot wield it! None of us can!" Aragorn spoke up against Boromir. "The one ring answers to Sauron alone; it has no other master!"

"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" Boromir retorted.

Legolas jumped to Aragorn's defense. "This is no mere Ranger! He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir sounded shocked, "Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" The contempt in his voice was unmistakable.

"Heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas added.

Aragorn sounded stressed, "Havo dad, Legolas." (Sit Down)

Boromir spat at Legolas, "Gondor has no king." He walked over to his seat and said to Aragorn, "Gondor needs no king."

Gandalf changed the subject, "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice: The ring must be destroyed," Elrond murmured ominously, following Gandalf's lead.

Gimli stood up, "Then what are we waiting for?" He swung his axe over his head and brought it down upon the ring. With the grinding of metal, the axe shattered while the ring stayed in one piece. Gimli was sprawled upon the ground while Frodo gasped, sounding like Gimli's foolish action had hurt him instead.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here posses," Elrond said. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor to be cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." He lowered his voice to a dull whisper, "One of you must do this."

"One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir sighed. "It's Black Gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breath is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand men you could do this. It is folly." He was trying to talk them all out of it.

Legolas stood up once more, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!"

Gimli yelled at Legolas, "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!?"

Boromir stood up again and sided with Gimli. "And what if we fail? What then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli's insult stung a bit. I glared at the wall in front of me, rage spilling off of me in waves while my entire body tensed, and my hands, which rested by my side, clenched into fists. During my moment of seething anger, I could barely hear the council members get up and started arguing with one another.

"Never trust an elf!" Gimli shouted.

That did it. I closed my eyes and quietly hissed to myself, "You think we'd let a drunken dwarf hold onto something that powerful!?" I didn't care if Gimli was nicer later. Right now, he just offended me and the rest of my new-found kin.

I didn't hear Frodo stand up, but I heard his words, "I will take it! I will take it! I will take the ring to Mordor!" All of the arguing quieted down, and everyone stared at him. Even my rage subsided. The poor hobbit sounded absolutely petrified, "Though, I do not know the way."

Gandalf walked closer to Frodo, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is your to bear."

Aragorn stood up, "By my life or death, if I can protect you, I will." He walked over to Frodo and kneeled. "You have my sword."

Legolas was next, "And you have my bow."

"And my axe," the dwarf said after Legolas.

Finally, Boromir walked over. "You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

I stifled a snort. Of course.

A shout erupted from behind us. It was Sam, and he wasn't a second early. He raced out of the bushes, gasping, "Mister Frodo isn't going anywhere without me!"

Elrond sounded confused, but at the same time, amused, "It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Pippin and Merry glanced at each other, then burst out from behind our pillars. Merry cried out as they drew nearer, "Oi! We're coming too! You'll have to send us home all tied up in a sack to stop us!" They stopped in front of the company, mischievous smiles on their faces.

Winter looked shocked. "They gave us away!"

"They were supposed to. Now move it, or we'll miss our chance." I appeared as well, dragging Winter with me.

Winter gave a small wave of embarrassment. "Hey there."

I rolled my eyes and walked closer to the soon-to-be Fellowship. "It appears to me that your group lacks girl-power." I smiled at them.

Elrond's expression was one of pure confusion and disbelief.

Winter leaned in to me and whispered, "What are you doing?"

I whispered back without breaking my smile, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"You didn't answer my question," Winter growled.

Pippin continued, "Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing."

The taller people looked at Elrond for his approval. Merry leaned closer to Pippin. "Well, that rules you out, then."

Elrond looked out at all of us and said thoughtfully, "Eleven companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

I smiled at Winter, who was glaring daggers back at me. She'd thank me later.

"Right," Pippin said, smiling. "Where are we going?"

* * *

After we had been admitted to the group, Winter dragged me away to talk. We stopped at one of the many waterfalls. She rounded on me, her dress twirling when she spun. "What was all that about!?" Her rage was like the fierce anger of waves crashing over the shore during a storm.

"What do you mean?" I answered, my patience waning.

Winter put her hands on her hips. "'What do you mean?' Why are we joining this quest!?"

"I don't know! Maybe we'll get home by doing this." My voice wasn't as confident as I wished it would have been.

"What!?" Winter threw her hands up into the air. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Look, I know someone who might know how to get us home, okay? We'll meet her on our way!" This discussion was beginning to aggravate me.

"Still, there's no promise with her!" Winter was going to say more, but one of Elrond's servants came, offering to help us pack for our journey.

"Lord Elrond is aware you both have few belongings, and has offered to give you some. Would you please come with me?" She offered a hand, and smiled. Winter followed, but before she gave the Elleth a fake smile, she sent me a withering glare. She'd just have to get over it. Galadriel would know what to do with us. I was sure of it.

* * *

About an hour later, the Elleth, who had introduced herself as Iarwen, had us all set for our voyage. Winter was dressed a cotton shirt, thick pants, and her boots were leather. The cloak around her shoulders was woolen, and everything she wore was black. She was also given a sword, but I assumed she had no idea how to use it.

I was dressed differently. Brown boots adorned my feet, with a forest green tunic and brown pants to match. They had given me my own bow and a full quiver, but unlike Winter, I knew how to use my weapon. I just wasn't good at using it.

Meanwhile, Winter and I had joined the Fellowship down by the gates. Golden leaves laid on the ground, dotting the area with a little more color than just the brown color from the dirt. When it was confirmed the entire group had arrived, Gandalf gestured for Frodo to take the lead.

"Just so you know," Winter said, "I'm not mad at you anymore. You realized there was a way to get home, so you took the option. Sorry I made such a big fuss about it."

"It's okay. I figured you'd come around." I shot her a smile. She was totally going to hate this when we finally get started.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Just to warn you, this chapter got kind of long. Like, instead of staying on page 4 on my word document, it reached page 5. I didn't want to cut it short, because then it would be too short. Hopefully, the length isn't too bad.**

**ME - I AM SHER LOCKED is a lot to type every time, so I don't blame you! I would've done the same thing :) They are more just friends. As for elven clothing, I say yes. Elven clothing would be the best ever. Getting transported to Middle-Earth would be even better :)**

**DeLacus - Thanks for the review! I appreciate the support! ;)**

**NereatjeD - Huh. I never really thought about what would happen if I put Legolas with Winter. I'll admit I wasn't too sure of the idea since she's a human, but then I thought 'how would Elrond and Sydni be here then?' As for the official pairing, I don't know yet.**

**Doctor Legolas - :) Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for all of your support! ;)**

**Katie - Sure! I'm cool with that.**

*****Disclaimer: I just want it known that I do not own the Frozen reference*****

* * *

** Recap:**

After listening on at the council, Winter, Sydni, and the three hobbits learn of a quest dedicated to destroying the Ring. The three hobbits break their cover first, then the two girls follow. They start their journey after they get admitted to the group.

* * *

Chapter 7

**Winter's POV**

The whole Fellowship followed as Frodo and Gandalf led us around. By now, the secluded haven known as 'Rivendell' was a few days behind us, with huge mountains to the East. The mountains were called the Misty Mountains, according to Aragorn, and I could see why they were called 'misty'. The rocks that covered them were stormy grey, but the dark hues would fade into a light grey to white color when you went up near the summit. It was a beautiful ombre that wouldn't grow tiresome to look at. They were even more breathtaking in the morning, when the sunrise melted into the background.

Turning my eyes away from the distracting mountains, I looked around for Sydni. She was a few feet in front of me, and I barely quickened my pace to catch up with her, quietly sidestepping around Pippin. When I reached her side, I fell in stride with her movements, and thought a conversation would be a great way to break some ice. "I have questions and you had better have answers."

She turned her head my way and looked at me calmly, her deep brown eyes fixed intently upon my hazel ones. "Fire away," she said.

"You know the hobbits, right? Are they five or something? Why are they going on the quest if they're only five?" I asked.

Sydni smiled. "They're not five. They're actually anywhere between 40-50."

All this talk about different species really got me thinking. "You're an Elf, right?"

Shrugging, she nodded a bit, then asked, "Why are you asking?"

"Well," I replied, "if you're an Elf, then are you going to name yourself something Elvish? I mean, it would kind of make sense, seeing as how our travelling group doesn't know us well, save for maybe the hobbits and Aragorn."

She paused a moment, thinking. After a few moments, she said, "I never really gave that much thought before. I might look into it."

"You should. I think it would be awesome." I smiled.

Sydni started laughing. "You think everything is awesome." Sam turned around and gave us a look that was a strange mixture of confusion, concern, and a few judgemental thoughts.

Sydni stifled her laughter and looked down, asking, "Any other questions?"

"Nope." I looked up at Frodo. He looked so insignificant and small compared to Gandalf.

We walked in silence for a few more miles, which seemed to take forever. This journey was getting really boring really fast. Sneaking a quick glance to my left, I noticed Sydni was making weird facial expressions to herself. I sighed. Why did she always have to talk to herself and not me? I refused to talk to myself because that's what crazy people did. I wasn't crazy.

That got me thinking. What if this was all a dream? Would dreaming that I went to a different land full of different people and Sydni label me weird? I decided there was only one way to find out; I was going to have to pinch myself. Closing my eyes, I pinched my arm. When I opened my eyes again, disappointment filled me. For one, I wasn't home. Secondly, I was still travelling around with a bunch of males and Sydni.

Another mile went by, and I was slowly growing restless as my feet slowly started aching. Then, my stomach growled, sending heatwaves of embarrassment to my cheeks. I desperately wanted to complain, but I decided that Sydni had had enough of my complaints for a few hours.

We started passing over a rocky clearing that didn't seem any closer to our mountain. After he gave the area a small inspection, Aragorn stopped us. "We'll rest here for a while." The sun was just starting to fall to the West, signalling it to be about lunch time. The air had a slight chill to it, even though it wasn't long after noon.

"Heads up." Sydni lightly tossed me an apple. I caught it easily and sat down on a dusty rock with a sigh. My limbs simply ached, and I kind of wanted to curl up in a fetal position for a few hours and just sleep. "So," she said as she sat down beside me. "I thought about naming myself something different." She shot me a sideways look. "I don't know. Should I do it?"

My jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? You should totally name yourself something Elvish and cool."

The clanging of swords caused me to look up from my apple. Boromir was teaching the hobbits how to use swords. Aragorn and a few others from the company were watching. With his pipe held up to his lips, Aragorn smiled, and called, "Move your feet." I knew who I was getting sword pointers from someday.

Behind Sydni and me, Gimli and Gandalf were having a heated debate about our course. Something about 'Moria' kept coming up.

I didn't think anything of it, because Boromir's sword slipped, barely slicing Pippin's hand. Pippin cried out and dropped his sword. Boromir immediately dropped his guard. "Sorry!" Pippin didn't want to hear any of it, because he started to tackle Boromir. Merry hit Boromir with the flat of his blade and joined it.

"For the Shire! Hold him, hold him down!" Pippin shouted.

"Ah! You've got my arm!" Merry yelped.

I smiled between bites of my apple. Those two had gotten Boromir on the ground faster than I would have.

Then, the atmosphere turned a little more serious, despite the hobbits still keeping Boromir pinned to the ground. A few of the others were looking off into the distance, and Sydni was one of them. When I looked at it, I thought it was a swarm of bugs.

Sam sounded confused, "What is that?"

"Nothing. It's just a wisp of cloud," Gimli replied, his tone sounding very unconcerned.

Boromir wasn't quite as sure. "It's moving fast, and against the wind." Sydni started tensing up beside me as if she agreed with Boromir.

Legolas whipped around. "Crebain from Dunland!"

"Hide!" Aragorn yelled. "Frodo! Take cover!"

"Hurry!" Boromir added.

I scrambled up, threw my apple core off the edge of our clearing, and ran to find a hiding spot while helping to conceal our belongings. My sword, which I had taken off, was a few feet away, lying in the open. I cursed a little under my breath, and ran out to grab it. Behind me, Sydni called my name. Whipping my head around, I dove into some bushes, my sword in my grip.

Overhead, some awful shrieks filled the air. Though my head kind of throbbed, I had to remind myself that these cries weren't as bad as those of the wraiths. Those were like a form of torture, and never failed to give me a pounding migraine. I laid down, itching to cover my ears and get everything out of my head. Unfortunately for me, thorns and brambles got tangled in my hair, and I couldn't move them out in fear of the birds finding me, then eventually the rest of the Company.

The birds circled the rocks we were hiding in for a while before finally retreating back to where they had come from. Slowly, the entire Company emerged from their own hiding spots. That meant I could get all of the leaves out of my hair. Reaching up, I started picking things out.

"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf said when he emerged. "The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras." He turned to a snowy mountain many miles away.

I groaned inwardly. Why did we always have to go where the snow was?

* * *

The snow really did glow on the mountain, and there really were no footprints to be seen, except for our own trailing behind us. The radiant snow was blinding me as the sun reflected upon it. Sure it was kind of pretty, but there was a lot of it, and it was dreadfully cold. My mood was not going to improve. I loathed snow. I detested snow. Snow repelled me. I barely stifled a groan of disgust as more of the blasted stuff found its way into my boot.

Behind me, Frodo grunted, sounding like he had tripped in the snow and was tumbling head over heels down the slope a few feet. I turned, seeing Aragorn rush to his side, his feet powerfully moving the heaps of snow out of his way, and help him up. When he stood up, Frodo moved his hand to his chest, then quickly looked around for something, but couldn't find it. His eyes set on Boromir, uncertainty in his gaze.

I couldn't blame Frodo for the look, but it did seem a little irrational. Boromir kind of struck me as a sketchy dude, but it wasn't like he would go and jeopardize the quest. Yet, when I looked over at Boromir, I couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. He held the Ring in front of his face, looking as if it were the key to the universe or something. It was a little unsettling.

"Boromir," Aragorn called. I tore my eyes away from Boromir, and noticed that the rest of the Fellowship had stopped to watch. Boromir's lips were moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying because he was faced away from me at an awkward angle.

"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo," Aragorn said, his tone sharpening. There was a cold gleam in his eyes. That made me even more doubtful.

Boromir hesitated, then ever so slowly walked to Frodo. There seemed to be a mental battle in his head about whether or not he should give up the Ring. There was no denying that he greatly desired it. The Council proved that many times over.

He held the Ring out in front of him. "As you wish." Frodo desperately took the Ring from his hand. "I care not." I didn't fail to notice the glare Aragorn sent Boromir, nor did I miss Boromir's shaky laugh in response, or the awkward ruffling of Frodo's hair. I wasn't sure what that was all about, but it was weird.

With another more confident laugh, Boromir adjusted his shield, and turned to walk away. Before I turned around to follow Gandalf and Sydni, I watched Aragorn ever so subtly remove his hand from the hilt of his sword.

* * *

Tiny specks of snow pelted my face like miniscule shards of broken mirror. Each time one hit me, I winced, still not used to the sharp, razor-like feeling they had when they stung my face. The only thing that stopped me from screaming was the freezing wind that threatened to blow me off the side of the mountain.

To make my bad mood worse, Legolas and Sydni were lightly walking along the surface of the snow. It was so graceful it made me want to hurl. They didn't even seem affected by the icy blasts the rest of us were grimacing at. Jealousy started to bubble up in my stomach.

Unsurprisingly, no one said a word. At least, that held true until Legolas nimbly walked past the rest of the group and stopped at the edge of the cliff. Beside me, Sydni had stopped as well. I looked up, barely seeing her eyes widen and quickly fill with fear.

"There is a fell voice on the air!" Legolas shouted.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf cried.

I heard a cracking up above my head. Looking up, I saw boulders falling from a few hundred feet above our heads. I was never going near snow, boulders, or snowy boulders ever again.

"Duck!" Sydni screamed as she grabbed me. She pulled us closer to the mountain in an attempt to dodge the boulders. Luckily, the whole Company was missed.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn shouted. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

Gandalf got really stubborn really fast. He turned to look at Aragorn, shaking his head. "No!" He walked out of our ranks, then started chanting words that kind of floated around my head. I couldn't seem to make sense of them.

That idea didn't seem to work well, considering something cracked and crumbled above our heads again. I looked up, and saw snow just raining down from a place higher than the height the boulders had come from. This time, the snow didn't look like it was going to miss. Why did it have to be snow of all things?

I tensed, bracing for impact, but when it came, it completely threw me off guard. A noise similar to thunder overwhelmed my ears, and I closed my eyes tightly. After a few seconds, the sound stopped, leaving an eerily silence behind. When I moved my arm, it sounded muffled, and I couldn't move it far. That sent me into a wave of panic, and the will to survive kicked in. Flailing around madly, I pushed my way up to the surface. When my head cleared the top of the snow, I immediately wanted to burrow back down. At least in the snow, it was kind of warm without the constant wind freezing your face off.

One by one, the other heads appeared. Boromir was the first to speak, "We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan, or take the West Road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued. I sighed, my anger growing. Did he expect us to just stay here then?

"If we cannot pass over the mountain, then let us go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria!" Gimli cried out.

"Let the Ring Bearer decide," Gandalf said. There was a small spark of fear in his eyes. "Frodo?"

Frodo looked bewildered and hesitated. He looked uncertain when he answered, "We will go through the mines."

Gandalf's eyes shone with a small amount of fear, but it was all gone in a flash, "So be it."

Sure I didn't want to be on the mountain anymore, but the look in Gandalf's eyes when Moria was mentioned made me not really want to go there either. What could be down there that Gandalf was so afraid of?

* * *

**AN: I think I got a little too descriptive in there. Eh, maybe you guys liked the descriptions. **

**I couldn't help myself with the Frozen reference. They were on a mountain, and so was Elsa. That doesn't really justify the use of the reference, but I liked it. Sorry if you don't like Frozen. I'm kind of eh about Frozen myself.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I finally finished this chapter, and needless to say, I'm happy it's done. I should also apologize for keeping you all waiting for a few months... Sorry about that. Good news is I've been getting some ideas for later chapters, so hopefully the desire to use those ideas will keep me writing.**

**DeLacus - Thanks! I like describing things, something my friends think is weird, so thanks for your appreciation. Her complaints were fun to write :) And your other review had me smiling. Thanks!**

**Doctor Legolas - Aww, thanks! Sorry about the wait though. Enjoy :)**

**ME - Thank you! My sibling loves Frozen too much, so I understand your feelings about Frozen in general. Olaf is pretty awesome though. Transportation would be awesome, and being in a relationship with Legolas would be pretty crazy (in a good way)! I wish I had a dream with Legolas kissing me. Now I'm jealous! :) Thanks again!**

* * *

**Recap:**

The Fellowship went to the mountain pass after a run in with Saruman's bird spies. They made it up the mountain a ways, then turned around after Saruman started an avalanche which had them all buried for a little. Winter was not happy during any of that.

* * *

Chapter 8

**Winter's POV**

The clouds above us were grey and gloomy, but at least I had stopped shivering since there wasn't any more snow, so wispy clouds were okay with me. Beside me, a murky brown river flowed quietly, which looked eerily similar to the river that ran by my neighbor's house.

A noise coming from directly in front of me caused my head to snap up sharply, but when I noticed it was only Pippin and Merry, I relaxed, smiling a bit. They reminded me of my younger cousin, who was probably building things with Legos or sleeping while I thought about him. Just the memory of him sent a wave of homesickness into my chest, so I immediately stopped thinking, focusing on the stones beneath my feet, but I couldn't shut down now of all times. Sydni said we'd get home soon, and I hoped she wasn't lying.

Behind me, Gimli's voice was faint. "The walls of Moria." That must've meant we had finally arrived.

In front of me, Frodo's foot slipped into the dirty river. Gasping, he pulled it out, looking around him with eyes widening and filling with panic. Other than the obvious shock of nearly falling, he looked okay to me, so I let my eyes wander from his small form to the scenery around us. The air was thick, filled tightly with the sounds of the water and a faint breeze. It wasn't a very powerful rush of air, but every so often the atmosphere would feel a little colder. As the hair on my arms began standing on end, I tried to tell myself that it was all in my mind.

Looking out to the river, I noticed that there were trees growing in it. They reminded me of mangrove trees, but the trees in the river didn't look anything like mangroves. The river trees were dark, and had moss-like growths growing on them. Most almost looked dead, but I was no expert on trees. Still, the very thought made the place even more unsettling.

Gandalf finally stopped in front of a great stone wall, and muttered to himself, "Well, let's see." He started rubbing the wall, gazing at it with interest.

"What's he doing?" I murmured to Sydni.

Sydni looked at me, flickers of amusement in her eyes. "He's looking for a door."

I just stared at her. "He's what?" Sydni just shook her head and went back to watching Gandalf. What did she mean by 'looking for a door'? It was stone! There wasn't going to be a door in a wall of stone!

Suddenly, the wall of stone started glowing at certains spots. Squinting to get a better look, I noticed an intricate design carving its way through the grey rock. I refused to accept it was our door.

Gandalf begged to differ, since he started backing up, a smile on his face. Grimacing, I tried not to look at Sydni, since that was obviously our door. The wizard walked closer to the entrance, and pointed at the designs with his staff. "It reads, 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter'."

Merry was the first to speak, "What do you suppose that means?"

I winced. Even I sort of knew what that meant. If you were a friend of Moria's Lord, then you got to enter.

Gandalf confirmed my assumptions. "It's simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." He sounded a little upset with Merry's stupidity, but didn't do anything else except hold his staff to the door, and chant in a language I did not understand. I risked a look over at Sydni, but she was too busy trying not to smile. She either knew something, or was choosing to feel smug about my lack of knowledge. The rest of us waited patiently for Gandalf's chanting to stop. When it did, the doors remained closed. Looking back at Sydni, I noticed her smile growing. The only thing growing in me was the urge to smack her, but that was clearly inappropriate in a time such as this.

Gandalf walked up to the door and put a hand on it, pushing, then turned and shoved against the door using his shoulder. When that didn't work, he tried chanting again.

Sighing, I decided to watch Aragorn and Sam leave to unpack Bill. Aragorn never seemed to be the type to converse much, but while he walked, I could see him talking with Sam. "Mines are no place for a pony. Even one so brave as Bill." Pans rattled together as Aragorn unhooked them.

Sam pet Bill's nose, and mumbled, "Bye-bye Bill."

The hobbit removed Bill's bridle, then Aragorn nudged him on, saying, "Go on Bill. Go on." I noticed Sam watching Bill intently. He loved Bill, and it was kind of sad watching him. Aragorn murmured, "Don't worry Sam. He knows the way home."

Behind me, something that sounded like splashes reached my ears. I turned quickly to see if Frodo managed to fall in completely this time, but he was dry and over in Gandalf's direction. Unsurprisingly, the noise was coming from Pippin and Merry, who were currently throwing rocks into the murky depths. As Pippin wound up to throw another, Aragorn caught his arm, murmuring, "Do not disturb the water." His tone sounded grave, and when his eyes looked up from Pippin's face, there was a faint trace of worry and concern in them.

Gandalf's angry mutter from the tomb entrance caused me to shift my attention once more. He had thrown his staff down, making to sit on a nearby rock. Still grumbling inaudibly, he took off his pointed hat with a huff.

Gandalf had always perplexed me. He could carry around a piece of wood and not be judged, wear a pointy hat in a way that worked for him, and could grow a beard better than anyone I knew. He always carried around a cool sword, and also seemed to know a great deal of things. If I tried to do any of that, I would most certainly disappear afterwards because of public humiliation. That being thought, I supposed that made Gandalf pretty cool, at least it did when he was feeling happy. He was a little terrifying when he was mad.

Something moved out of the corner of my eye. Giving my head a slight shake, I stopped all of my heavy thinking to process what was going on. Frodo was standing with his head tilted up to the riddle on the top of the stone door. He was also murmuring to himself, but after a moment, he asked in a louder voice, "What's the elvish word for 'friend'?"

Gandalf opened his mouth to respond, but Sydni beat him to it. "It's mellon."

At her words, the doors swung open, revealing a really dark cavern that smelled musty and old. I supposed no one had used the door in quite some time, considering Gandalf hadn't remembered the password. The grating sound that filled the air ceased when the doors had opened to their fullest. The grating sound also had ensnared the attention of all of the other Fellowship members, since all of whom were gathering near the entrance. Gandalf put something into his staff, then lead the way in.

From the moment I stepped into the tunnel, I knew it would add to the growing list of things I didn't like. The hobbits would probably be in front of me, and that would make them obstacles I wouldn't be able to see. There were also some crunchy things beneath my feet. I could deal with the hobbits, but the crunching objects made me a little uneasy. With that in mind, I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to know what they were.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli's voice bounced around the cracked columns before us.

Leaning over to Sydni, I whispered, "What's his deal with elves anyway?"

"I'll tell you later." Sydni's voice sounded off. Her tone was tense, and she kept looking over her shoulder at the entrance. There was something else she knew, and she wasn't going to tell me what it was.

Boromir looked a little like Sydni himself. "This is no mine. It's a tomb."

Without looking down, I meekly muttered, "Well, that explains the crunching noises."

"No." Gimli ran around frantically, looking down at the ground, which was indeed littered with skeletal bodies. "No!"

In front of me, Legolas reached out to grab a stray arrow from one of the skeleton's skulls. "Goblins." Throwing the arrow away, he drew his weapons quickly, and I noticed the rest of the Company doing the same. The only thing I was concerned with was how Legolas could identify who shot the arrow. It was an interestingly odd skill, yet I supposed it could prove to be rather handy.

Boromir's cold, yet steady voice drowned out Gimli's cries. "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We never should have come here. Now, get out of here. Get out!"

Turning to face the entrance, I uneasily tried not to run out of the mine. The hobbits, who were at the end of the Fellowship, were backed out by the rest of us, and I could see they were getting close to the water's edge. In the massive flurry of confusion, Frodo managed to slip on the rocks, falling onto his back. I almost called out 'finally', but held my tongue when he started screaming 'help'.

"Frodo!" Pippin cried. I couldn't see much, but from what I could tell, Frodo was being pulled into the water. I couldn't tell what was in the water, but if it could pull Frodo away, I probably didn't want to meet it myself.

Sam was closest to me, and turned to face the taller people. "Strider!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the entrance of the mine. That got Strider's attention, and he ran out of the entrance with his sword in hand.

Meanwhile, the hobbits had their proportionally sized swords in their hands, and were hacking away at something that looked like a tentacle. That sent my pulse racing. Tentacles were gross, since they felt slimy when wet, and moved around in what seemed like an abnormal way. Color me disgusted.

The tentacles disappeared beneath the surface of the water, and I managed to release a small breath. Whatever it was looked like it left, but as soon as I turned to enter the mines again, more tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed Frodo with a very determined force. One tentacle got him by his ankle and pulled him up into the air, his other limbs flailing around while he screamed.

Boromir and Aragorn didn't hesitate to run into the water and start cutting up anything that looked slimy, while Legolas and Sydni were standing further away, shooting arrows into the flesh of the beast. Even the hobbits were taking swings at the monster. I was the only one not really doing much of anything, besides dodging the massive tentacles should any come near me, and that was okay with me. I wasn't much of a fighter anyway. but after one passed, I straightened, putting my hand on my hips. It was at times such as these that a girl like myself could have used a weapon, like a sword, to at least defend herself.

Something metallic brushed my left hand, causing me to look down. The sword from Rivendell sat on my hip. How convenient.

Drawing the blade from my side, I saw something coming at me on my right flank. Screaming, I twisted away from it, holding the sword in front of me. Something hit the sword, and I heard a noise that sounded like flesh being cut. When the weight on my blade lessened, I unfroze myself. Above me, a mangled tentacles wriggled around, splattering liquids everywhere. Looking down at my sword, I noticed it was covered in the liquid as well.

Behind me, Gandalf yelled, "Into the mines!"

I didn't need anyone to tell me anything more. Running with the will to survive, I ducked under another tentacle. Boromir was yelling Legolas's name from somewhere behind me, while Aragorn followed suite. I fought to slip in the darkness before the hobbits and Aragorn did, since the tentacled monster started to rise up out of the water, trying to grab one of us from the inside of the mine. In its desperate attempt, it brought parts of the ceiling crashing to the ground, essentially burying itself, which I was totally okay with.

Darkness was the only thing I could see, before Gandalf spoke, "We now have but one choice." Something glowed on the top of his staff, and I could see again. "We must now face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." Gandalf started moving in the direction of some damaged stairs, and we all followed, like a herd of sheep. "Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I know I've taken forever with this chapter, but good news is I've got a plan (don't panic, it's nothing scary). My goal is to finish either this fic or I'm Fine, and get a good chunk done out of the one I don't finish by September ish. Since I've been working on this one for a while, I'm hoping I'll finish this one (let's cross our fingers and hope I keep my motivation).**

**Doctor Legolas - Bill is so great, but Sam saying 'bye-bye Bill' gets me every time. Thank you! Hopefully this wasn't too long of a wait... Yeah, sorry this took forever...**

* * *

**Recap:**

After making it to Moria, the Fellowship patiently waited for Gandalf to find the door into the mines. The Watcher showed up, and the two sides go into battle, with the Company eventually getting trapped in the mines.

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Chapter 9

**Sydni's POV**

Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of not being able to see where I was putting my hands or feet while climbing in the dark, so when Gandalf told us we had to climb up a narrowly steep set of stairs, I got a little anxious. The stones making up the path felt slippery, and every so often my foot would catch on a loose rock and slip, only to be saved by Aragorn's head. His strained grunt never sounded very pleased after I would apologize for kicking his head again, but if I knew anything about Aragorn, he probably wasn't too angry with me. As bad as I felt, I figured it was better to hit his face instead of allowing myself to plummet to my death, which was probably what Aragorn would prefer as well.

Our going was slow, but that wasn't shocking, since the hobbits were directly behind Gandalf, who was leading us. Fortunately for me, the hobbits seemed to look more panicked than I felt, and Pippin lost his footing more than I did. Looking up, I could see the top of the stairs were much closer than they were before. In fact, Gandalf was no longer climbing, but standing. Muscles burning, I grit my teeth and prayed that Boromir, who was in directly in front of me, and the hobbits would climb up quickly so I wouldn't start screaming in pain.

Minutes passed, and eventually I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out. It sounded like Gandalf had stopped. He started mumbling to himself, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying, until he moved closer to the edge. "Quickly now."

He didn't need to tell me twice. As soon as Boromir started climbing, I was off, climbing faster than Boromir, pausing with a sigh of annoyance every so often, waiting to reach the top. Moments passed, and the seconds clumped into minutes. Patience was not one of my best qualities, and that was proving true when Pippin continued to falter getting up. After he finally managed to climb up and join the others, Merry was pulled up next. He didn't take as long, and when Boromir was up, he could pull himself up as well.

Finally, a few more moments of pain before relief. Pouring all of my strength into my arms, I pushed myself up, almost like I was getting out of a pool. "Boromir... Help me... Please..." I hated how pathetic I sounded, but my breathing was ragged, making it difficult to do anything other than wheeze. Boromir's rough hands gripped my biceps, and he pulled me up enough for me to lay a knee on the ground. I collapsed to the ground, and breathed, "Thanks." He simply nodded in my direction before I pulled myself up into a standing position.

Looking around, my face fell sharply as I realized where we were. The three arches signifying Gandalf's only memory failure stood proudly in the side of the wall before me. It was futile to worry about what was to come since it would come anyway, so I pulled my head out of the clouds and walked back to the edge to assist the rest of the Fellowship. All anyone could have done was wait while Gandalf, who was standing in front of all of the arches, tried to remember the way to go.

Pippin and Merry were the only ones carrying any sort of conversation, but it was clear that Merry wasn't feeling very talkative. Pippin murmured again, "Are we lost?"

Merry's response was flat. "No."

"I think we are," Pippin chirped.

"Shh," Merry hissed. "Gandalf's thinking."

After a pause, Pippin asked, "Merry?"

"What?" Merry's responses were getting less and less amused.

Pippin responded with a brief mutter, "I'm hungry."

Stifling a smirk, I turned away from the rest of the Fellowship. If the situation hadn't been so unfortunate, then I probably would have laughed. It was so typical of Pippin, or any hobbit really, to be thinking of food.

When I managed to choke down any laughter, I turned back to face the Fellowship again. By now, everyone had found a spot to sit, or in Winter's case, a place to lay down. I stifled another smirk. Some things never did change.

Across from my rocky seat, Frodo turned to look down at the chasm behind him. Eyes widening, he gasped and turned, practically running from where he sat.

_Well, that's what you get for looking in a chasm._

Stopping by Gandalf's side, he murmured, "There's something down there." His attempt at a whisper merely echoed in the cavern around us.

Completely unfazed, Gandalf replied, "It's Gollum."

"Gollum?" Frodo asked, his face becoming unreadable.

Still unfazed, and still watching the three paths before him, Gandalf added, "He's been following us for three days."

What looked like shock started appearing on Frodo's face as he breathed, "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dûr?"

"Escaped," Gandalf murmured ominously, "or was set loose." A shiver went down my spine as Gandalf continued. "He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo's voice was filled with bitterness.

"Pity?" Gandalf asked, turning to face Frodo. "It is pity that stayed Bilbo's hand." After giving Frodo a hard look, he went on, "Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?" My blood ran cold as Frodo looked down. "Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over." Gandalf paused for a moment, then continued, "The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

Sadness, or regret, seemed to roll off of Frodo, and he muttered, "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

His voice filling with an emotion I couldn't peg, Gandalf said, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide." Frodo turned to face Gandalf. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Slowly, Frodo looked down. "There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." Gandalf paused again, smiling at Frodo, before crying out and standing. "It's that way."

Stiffly, I looked at the rest of the Fellowship. They all sat up and looked at Gandalf in amazement. Well, except for Winter, who was falling asleep.

Merry made to stand up. "He's remembered."

"No," Gandalf replied. "But the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." He led the way down the tunnel as I stood up and nudged Winter.

Blinking blearily, she rolled over and muttered, "What?"

"Gandalf's leading us out of here. Unless, of course, you'd like to stay." I said, starting to leave.

"No! I'm coming." Winter sat up quickly and caught up, falling in beside me. After a moment, she murmured, "I thought I was in pretty decent shape until we got wrapped up in this. I found muscles I never knew I had." Allowing a smirk to form, I shook my head and chuckled quietly to myself.

After making it down the stairs, we came to a large room cloaked in darkness. Up in the front, Gandalf's staff shone a little brighter, allowing us to see a little clearer. Gandalf's voice echoed around the pillars before us. "Behold, the great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

Sam was the first to say anything. "There's an eye-opener, and no mistake."

The hall that lay before us was filled with pillars, each identical to the other. Delicate designs wove around the middle of each column. It wasn't extravagant, but it was plainly elegant. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have been able to navigate the room, but luckily for us, we had Gandalf. As he lead us through the columns, I couldn't help but look up and feel like an ant.

After several minutes of navigating us through the labyrinth of pillars, Gimli stopped, gasped, and ran over to what looked like a doorway. Gandalf called after him, "Gimli!"

Following after where he disappeared, I could hear his anguished cry. "No!" Kneeling before a white slab of smooth stone, his cries quieted. "Oh, no. No." Soon, he simply started wailing, the raw grief echoing around us.

Gandalf approached the stone, reading, "'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria'. He is dead, then." Taking off his hat, he looked around. "It's as I feared." Looking down, he handed his staff and hat to Pippin, grabbed a book from a skeleton, and dusted it off, starting to read.

Off to my left, Legolas murmured to Aragorn, "We must move on. We cannot linger." I couldn't help but agree. Unfortunately, I couldn't say anything about it.

"'They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep.'" Gandalf looked up for a second, yet was unaware of Pippin's backing up towards the well near the back of the room. Flipping the page, Gandalf continued reading, "'We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming.'"

Just then, a clattering sound came from the back of the room. Pippin looked up in fear, and, while turning, failed to notice the skeleton behind him falling into the well. All the way down, the skeleton clattered, the noise filling the chamber. Nervous flutters erupted in my stomach. They would be here soon.

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**AN: I know, I chopped Moria in half. I didn't want to, but this chapter would have been a lot longer if I hadn't. I really hope it doesn't make it to three chapters of Moria... I don't want to do that to you. But, good news is, I've started the next chapter already! That should be up rather soon. I hope that doesn't turn into a lie.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I'd say this is probably my best turn around... And guess what? I wrote two chapters! I know I said that I didn't want to do that to you last chapter, but if I hadn't made this into two chapters, then it'd be way too plot heavy for my liking. So, I went with two chapters posted at the same time instead of one huge one filled with plot. Besides, I probably owe you all for leaving for 7 months... Still sorry about that...**

**Emma stars - Aww thanks! You get two chapters here instead of just one (yes!). But you need sleep (although I'm kind of thrilled my work made you like that... but at the same time I'm a little concerned). Thanks again!**

**Doctor Legolas - I MADE TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE QUICK UPDATE! I love writing Winter (don't worry, I have her POV planned for chapter 12), and it makes me happy that you like her. Thank you! Enjoy these two chapters!**

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**Recap:**

Gandalf had a memory lapse, but he found what seemed like the right way after Frodo and he had a lovely chat about Gollum, who was stalking them. When they made it through the memory gap, they pass by Balin's tomb, which causes Gimli to leave the pack. He mourns for Balin for a bit, then Pippin knocks a skeleton into a well in the corner, causing a great number of enemies to become aware of their presence.

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Chapter 10

**Sydni's POV**

A heavy silence filled the air as Gandalf slowly turned to Pippin, giving him a hard look. I took in a sharp breath, the silence lasting for a few more heartbeats. Finally, Gandalf shut the book. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity." Seething with rage, Gandalf ripped his staff and hat from Pippin's grip. Pippin, looking abashed, backed away from Gandalf.

Then I heard it. The drums. The drums in the deep. Sucking in a shaky breath, I tried to calm my nerves. Winter looked over at me, "What is that?"

Shaking my head, I breathed, "You'll see soon enough." Fighting to keep only a reasonable amount of panic on my face, I swallowed a few times.

A screeching sound filled my ears as the drums got louder. Legolas, now in a completely different frame of mind, exclaimed, "Orcs."

Boromir raced to the doorway, his breath coming in pants. Looking out into the hallway, he withdrew his head as two arrows embedded themselves in the wooden door, inches from his nose.

Aragorn started shepherding the hobbits away from the door, saying, "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Briefly looking at the two of us, he said, "You two do the same. I don't want to take any chances."

Nodding, I had no trouble dragging Winter over to where Gandalf stood with the hobbits clustered around him. Shaking her head, she murmured, "I don't want to do this. Why are we here?"

Before I could make a witty retort about how it was her fault we made it to Middle Earth in the first place, I heard Boromir mutter, "They have a cave-troll."

As I watched Legolas throwing axes to Boromir from behind Gandalf, I hated how useless I felt. Granted, I'd only hinder everyone else attempting to fight, but I wanted to be useful. If I couldn't hold my own, I didn't want to be there. In the back of my mind, I swore to get better at fighting so I'd never need to feel this useless, this powerless. It was aggravating, and I itched to grab an arrow and fit it into my bow. I used to shoot a little, and I was a decent shot. I just couldn't aim well, so in the midst of battle I wouldn't be much help. Gritting my teeth, I tried not to leave my spot of safety.

After barricading the door, Legolas, Aragorn, and Boromir ran away from the door. Gandalf drew his sword, and the hobbits did the same. Unable to resist, I took my bow from my back, an arrow in my hand. Winter hid behind me, her sword hanging limply in her hand.

Roaring, Gimli stood on top of Balin's grave, his axe in hand. "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath."

The door shook as the orcs tried to get in. Steeling my nerve, I took in a deep breath. I knew what was coming, and I knew there was no way it would just leave. They caught our scent, and there was no way they'd leave without fighting us. All I had to do was focus on not dying. It sounded simple now, but I knew that it would prove difficult in the heat of battle. With multiple bodies all running around a small room, there was bound to be chaos.

Their weapons started clawing through the door, and when there was a big enough gap, Legolas fired an arrow into the hole in the door. Louder screeches erupted from behind the door as more orcs took up their fallen's place. Aragorn, who was also equipped with a bow, started firing alongside Legolas. After hitting a few, the door finally broke free and enemies came flooding into our small cavern. Fighting to keep my breathing even, I backed up and drew my arrow.

The orcs were soon upon us, so Aragorn drew his close combat weapons, moving as fluidly as water. Still backing up, I found myself wedged in a corner. I couldn't go back anymore. Loosening a tight breath, I aimed far from my companions, and released my arrow. The string stung my fingers as I released, but I didn't really register any pain. Without looking to see where my arrow landed, I drew another arrow, took aim again, and fired.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Winter occasionally swinging her sword alongside Gandalf. When Gandalf couldn't cover her, she had to take initiative, but her blows weren't strong or confident. I wished I could help ease her fighting by taking some of them out, but I couldn't risk hitting her.

In my moment of distraction, an orc had managed to corner me. Adrenaline raging, I threw my bow over my back, and stabbed the arrow I was holding into its head. It screamed, but I was too busy trying not to panic to notice. Finishing with a swift kick to the gut, I sent the orc a few feet away from me, where it lay twitching.

Gasping, I drew my bow, only to stop as the ground around me rumbled. Looking to the door, I saw the doorway shudder and give out to the cave-troll. Roaring, it made its way through the orcs. Legolas didn't hesitate, and swiftly shot it in the chest. Gulping, I made an effort to avoid it, instead focusing on the remaining orcs. I could injure an orc much easier than a troll.

What seemed like hours passed, and I was slowly realizing that I wasn't as bad of a shot as I previously thought. Granted, I still wasn't great, but at least I stopped missing the orcs completely. The troll had completely slipped my mind, but since I couldn't really see the troll very well, I figured he couldn't really see me, and I was totally okay with that. At the same time, it made me completely oblivious to the actions of my companions.

Then I heard a gasp of pain. At first, I thought it was Winter, so I ran out of my corner to see where she was. I stopped short when I realized that it wasn't her, but Frodo. Drawing another arrow, I risked shooting an orc closing in on Frodo. To my relief, it embedded itself in the orc's stomach.

Trembling, I drew another arrow, only to falter as the ground started shaking again. Turning, I saw that the cave troll was dying. Legolas must taken him out then. I put away my drawn arrow as the ground shook. The troll had fallen, and just like that, the battle stopped.

Shifting my attention from the dead troll, I looked over at Frodo. As I looked around at the males, I saw that they weren't trembling like I was. They were all looking at Frodo with concern. Swallowing, I hid my fear and put up some of my own concern.

Aragorn had crawled to where Frodo was lying, and rolled him over. Frodo's eyes were closed, but he gasped and clutched his stomach, much to everyone's surprise and relief. As Frodo opened his eyes, Sam murmured, "He's alive."

Gradually everyone relaxed, and Frodo sat up, gasping, "I'm all right. I'm not hurt."

"You should be dead," Aragorn said incredulously. "That spear would have skewered a wild boar."

Gandalf moved closer to Frodo's side. "I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye."

Hands moving his shirt in a similar manner to a super hero, Frodo looked down at the mithril on his chest. Gimli, full of awe, whispered, "Mithril." As Frodo met his eyes, Gimli went on, "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

Our moment of relief didn't last long, because screeches filled the air. My pulse racing, I fought my fear, demanding it to leave me alone. Gandalf's eyes swept ours, and he murmured, "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!"

No one needed any other encouragement to leave. All eleven of us sprinted out of the tomb as if death itself were coming after us. Winter, who was keeping pace beside me, looked behind us, her eyes widening. Gasping, I hissed, "Don't look back! It only slows you down."

Gritting her teeth, she retorted, "So does talking!"

Ear piercing shrieks seemed to grow closer and closer to me, their reverberations dancing through the columns and around my head. Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I ducked my head a bit, ignoring the burning sensation rippling through my legs, and kept a few paces behind Gandalf.

Beside me, Winter suddenly looked up. Noticeably stifling a scream, she breathed, "They're coming out of the ceiling!" I really wished she hadn't mentioned that.

A few heartbeats later, I realized that they had us surrounded. Even though I knew that they wouldn't be the ones to kill us, I knew what was coming after. Fighting to keep my breathing even, I drew an arrow, aiming it at one of the foul creatures standing in front of me, attempting to keep them at bay.

Silence gradually began to overtake the hall. Thankfully, the orcs had given us a relatively wide berth. Even still, I didn't want to be in Moria anymore.

Then I heard it's growl, and my blood ran cold. Turning my head to the left, I saw the fire of the thing I dreaded. If only Glorfindel could be here with us.

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**AN: I'm not sure how I feel about this one... I mean, I tried to make it more realistic, but I'm afraid I overdid or didn't hit the whole "I'm a girl from Earth who has no fighting skills whatsoever" enough. I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking this...**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Well, here's the second chapter of the day. I'm thrilled that I finished it on the same day I finished the previous chapter, so that's a plus. Granted I didn't want Moria to be three chapters, but hey, some things in life don't work out the way we want them. Besides, I can live with three chapters. Maybe not very happily, but I'll get over it.**

**I don't know if you can really tell, but what I tried to do with Moria was try and get them to start regretting their decision to join the Fellowship. It was another thing I was trying to do with the whole 'more realistic' thing, but I don't know if it works... Still might be overthinking it... Who knows. At least I got these two up in record time!**

* * *

**Recap:**

The Fellowship was locked into battle with some orcs and a cave troll since Pippin alerted all of Moria to their presence, but they eventually battle their way out of Balin's tomb, but not after Frodo was stabbed by the troll. Legolas quickly dispatches the troll, and to everyone's surprise, Frodo isn't actually dead. Gandalf ushers everyone out of the tomb, with more orcs on their tails, but when something growls in the distance, the Fellowship is quickly left by themselves.

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Chapter 11

**Sydni's POV**

All around us, the orcs screamed, fleeing the scene. I supposed that I'd probably end up alive if I ran with them, but the fact that it would look bad if I left Winter behind with some men we barely knew left me in my place. That, and orcs were disgusting, and would eventually kill me somehow.

By now, everyone had turned to look at the light emanating from our left. Boromir was the first to speak. "What is this new devilry?"

Shakily, I murmured to myself, "You really don't want to know."

Aragorn kept looking at the light, then to Gandalf's face, fear evident on his features. Boromir didn't leave Gandalf's right side, and Legolas's grip on his bow never loosened.

A growl rippled through the air. Face solemn, Gandalf answered, "A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you." Turning around, Gandalf yelled, "Run!"

Legs burning once more, I gasped, "Where's Glorfindel when you need him?"

Ushering us through a doorway, Gandalf called, "Quickly!"

"There's no need to tell me twice," Winter mumbled weakly, her breathing ragged.

In front of us, there seemed to be a stairway, but when Boromir tried to go down them, he almost plummeted to his death. Legolas shot a hand out, grabbing Boromir, and wrapped his arms around him, pulling Boromir to the ground. Offering a hand to them, I helped Boromir off of Legolas. Turning, I heard Gandalf tell Aragorn something about "doing as he said". Pushing us all to the right, Aragorn led us down some dangerously narrow stairs. After scaling about half of them, we came upon a gap in the stairs. Without much hesitation, I leapt across after watching Legolas do it first. Extending an arm, he steadied me, then when I waved him off, saying I was okay, he turned to help the others.

After Gandalf had made the jump, an arrow whizzed by my head. Turning, I switched spots with Legolas. "You're a better shot than I am." Nodding, he managed to find a way to shoot the occasional arrow and catch other members of the Fellowship. If the situation weren't so life threatening, I would have taken time to be impressed, and a little jealous.

Extending my arms, I motioned for Boromir to jump with Merry and Pippin. When they were secure, I caught Winter. Gasping, she muttered, "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?"

Before I could answer, Aragorn nodded to me, and threw Sam. Moving Winter out of the way, I caught Same while Gimli jumped over to Legolas. He misjudged his jump, and Legolas caught his facial hair. Grunting, Gimli cried, "Not the beard!"

Looking back up at Aragorn and Frodo, I noticed that their stairway had become its own island. Some debris had fallen and knocked out the part of the stairs behind the two, cutting them off from retreating.

Aragorn steadied Frodo, and slowly shifted his weight forward, telling Frodo to do the same. Gradually, their weight began to shift their island closer to us. Extending my arms, I caught Frodo as Legolas caught Aragorn. After everyone was set on the ground, we all took off running again.

"So many stairs!" Winter growled beside me.

Before long, we had reached the end of the stairs. Gandalf yelled, "Over the bridge! Fly!"

My breaths coming in wheezes, I sprinted to the narrow bridge, trying not to think about how long of a fall it would be if I fell over. Shuddering, I swallowed, trying to distract myself with happy thoughts. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

Before long, we made it to the bridge. Fighting the urge to close my eyes and run blindly, I stared ahead, focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other. Behind me, Winter started hyperventilating, so I knew I wasn't alone with these feelings. Thankfully, Boromir was ready to catch me as I barrelled over the last few feet. Pushing me away from the edge, he nodded briefly before making to catch Winter. When I reached the rest of the Fellowship, I leaned against the rock wall behind me, wheezing. After noticing Aragorn giving me a look, I shook my head, waving him off. "Fine. I just... Breathe." He gave me another look, but didn't press me.

Winter flopped against the wall, her head resting on my shoulder. "Is this part almost over? Has it been four days yet?"

Nodding, I managed to say. "Yes... Done here."

Looking up, I saw Gandalf standing in the middle of the bridge, his sword at one side and his staff at the other. "You cannot pass!"

On my left, Frodo yelled, "Gandalf!" Wincing, I sucked in a tight breath. He wasn't going to take these next events well.

The Balrog's only response was to strengthen the flames licking at his body. Gandalf, his body posture rigid, murmured, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor." Lifting his staff above his head, Gandalf made the tip light up, sending white light to clash with the red fire. "The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!"

A flaming sword within its grip, the Balrog struck Gandalf's white orb of light. To Winter's obvious surprise, the sword struck a barrier, sending sparks flying, then seemed to disintegrate.

His voice snarling, Gandalf growled, "Go back to the shadow." The Balrog didn't seem to be affected by his words, and started to advance, wielding a flaming whip. Bringing his sword and staff together, Gandalf swung his arms, crying, "You shall not pass!" Slamming them down, a burst of white light shone at the contact.

Nostrils flaring, the Balrog took another step forward, his whip held high over his head. Beneath the weight, the bridge started crumbling, and the Balrog faltered as it began falling. Emitting a growl, the Balrog began his freefall, tumbling to the darkness below.

Sighing, Gandalf looked down into the chasm for a moment, watching his adversary fall, then turned and began to make his way towards us. The distinct sound of a whip snapping crackled through the air, and the whip caught Gandalf by the foot, causing him to fall to the ground. The Balrog managed to pull Gandalf to the edge of the broken bridge before the whip's grip was released. Fingers visibly straining, Gandalf clung to the side of the bridge.

"Gandalf!" Frodo screeched, fighting to get to him. Boromir managed to catch him, restraining him, preventing him from falling to his death.

Gandalf managed to get a better grip, then looked up at us. With a gasp, he said, "Fly, you fools." He looked at us a moment longer, then let go of the edge, his head disappearing from view.

Fighting against Boromir's grip, Frodo screamed, "No!"

Wincing sharply, I felt Winter's arm close around mine. "He's really gone?" I could only nod. Her eyes, filling with despair, searched my own. "You're lying. He's not gone. He's Gandalf. He'll be back."

"No, Winter. Gandalf the Grey is gone," I said tightly. I didn't expect the pain of losing Gandalf to be as great as it was. I knew he was coming back, but the pain of watching him release himself from the ledge stuck out in my mind, forever burning into my memory. Sucking in a breath, I closed my eyes, groaning. Maybe this was too much for me. Why did I think this was such a good idea?


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I'm just going to straight up ignore the fact that it's been almost a year since I updated this and move on. At the moment, my goal is to finish this up as soon as possible, which is hopefully soon.**

**Emma stars - Thank you! Sleep is always good. Thank you for your support!**

* * *

**Recap:**

After watching Gandalf fight the Balrog and then fall down as well, the saddened Fellowship makes their way out of the mines.

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Chapter 12

**Winter's POV**

We all hustled out of the mines, and while I was happy to be out of the darkness, I couldn't get over the hollowness in my stomach. It was a sick feeling, just like I'd watched my grandpa die or something. Oh wait.

After bursting out of the cavern, what shocked me first was how bright it was. Sunlight pierced my eyes, causing a deep, burning sensation, which didn't help the tears I was fighting back. Granted I didn't know Gandalf well, but everyone else was sad, which made me sad. Besides, I'd miss his sass.

A few members of the company who hadn't managed to hold back their sadness were slowing to stops as their grief overcame them. Sam sat down on a rock, bringing a hand up to his face. Gimli struggled against Boromir's grip as he fought to get back into the mine. Merry was laying on the ground holding Pippin's shoulder as he cried. Sydni wouldn't look at anyone.

Aragorn, who was cleaning his sword, was the first to say anything: "Legolas, get them up." Legolas started to head over to Sam.

"Oh give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir hollered back, turning to face Aragorn. As badly as I wanted to side with Aragorn, I couldn't. We'd need time to grieve over Gandalf. Bottling up our sadness would only make more problems.

Keeping a steady tone, Aragorn answered, "By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlórien." Sheathing his sword, he went on in a kinder tone, "Come, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up." Walking over to Sam, he grabbed him by the straps of the pack on his shoulders. "On your feet, Sam." Turning, he looked for the ringbearer, "Frodo?" Finding him walking around aimlessly, he called, "Frodo!"

Frodo stopped moving, and turned around slowly. I hated to see the look of pure sadness in his eyes.

Sydni stopped by my side, and mumbled to herself, "That is why I can't do this anymore."

I couldn't bring myself to look at her.

* * *

After a rather dismal run over a rocky landscape, through a small creek, and over a grassy field, we arrived at the mouth of a forest. The moment we stepped inside, I knew something was wrong. It had this sort of ethereal feeling to it, which both unnerved me and made me feel safe. Nothing in the world was that perfect, yet there was something about it that made me feel like no harm would come to me. At the same time, I felt this forest was the last place I wanted to be. My head spinning with all sorts of confusing contradictions, I shoved my thoughts from my mind and looked around.

The sunlight shone through the leaves, creating a pattern of fragmented light on the forest floor. Soft, golden leaves fell from their perches on the sinewy branches to the light brown floor. Brushing the trunks lightly with my fingers, I was surprised at how smooth the bark felt. My breath caught in my throat slightly, bringing a small smile to my lips.

Gimli, it seemed, did not share in my feelings. Extending a hand, he grumbled, "Stay close, young hobbits! They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf-witch," he paused, his pace slowing, "of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell, and are never seen again."

As if Gimli was scaring him with his talk of nonsense, Frodo started turning his head around, scanning frantically for any unseen threats. There was fear and confusion in his eyes, and his form seemed to shrink. Frowning as I watched him, I couldn't understand how Gimli could scare him that badly. Why was he our Ring Bearer if Gimli could frighten him with some obviously made up tales?

"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily," Gimli went on. "I have the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a fox." The moment his final word left his lips, he froze.

There was an arrow pointed at his nose.

All around me, my companions went rigid as more and more archers appeared out of the woods, each aiming arrows at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Legolas pointing his bow back at them, shifting his aim from one to another in preparation for one of us to be shot.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." A smooth, rich voice reached my ears. Shifting my head slightly, I looked over in the direction from which the voice had come. Halting in front of Aragorn was an elf, but he didn't look exactly like Legolas. There was something almost orderly in the way he held himself, like he was a soldier. Since he was the only one without a bow pointed at us, I assumed he was the one in charge.

For some reason, that didn't exactly comfort me. I was too young to be a hostage.

Aragorn dipped his head, then started conversing in elvish. The strange elf's face didn't change, nor did he say anything back.

Gimli, who should've learned to keep his mouth shut, called out, "Aragorn, these woods are perilous. We should go back."

That smooth, rich voice reached my ears once more. "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back." Fixing his hard eyes on Frodo, he hissed, "Come. She is waiting." Giving us another look, the elf finally turned around, leading us back to wherever this 'Lady' was. If she was anything like the strange elf, I didn't want to meet her.

Turning my head, I was surprised to find Sydni at my side. Searching her face with concern, I whispered, "Are you okay?" All I got was a shrug in return.

* * *

The trek to the 'Lady' was a silent one, but it didn't seem very long at all. I watched in quiet awe as the tree trunks around me started becoming thicker and thicker. At first, finding a set of stairs winding around the trunks was a rare and unusual sight, but the longer we walked, the more frequent they became. With a growing sense of dread, I assumed that meant the 'Lady' was getting closer.

It wasn't that I was scared per se. I was just concerned. Nodding my head, I looked up at the elves walking on the staircases. Yeah, I was just concerned about the people climbing the stairs. The silver trunks looked sturdy enough, and the intricate designs adorning the stairs probably meant time had been taken in making them, so they were probably safe to walk on, but I couldn't help but worry.

Behind me, someone placed a hand on my lower back. Shifting my head to look at them, my eyes met those of Boromir. Looking apologetic, he admitted, "I saw you tensing. Don't worry. You will be protected." Nodding my thanks, I turned around and smiled to myself. I'd had my misgivings about Boromir, but right there he seemed like a nice guy.

The elf, whose name was Haldir, started to lead us up a flight of stairs, and to my horror, there were no railings. After willing myself to start climbing, I slowly began realizing I wasn't afraid of the staircases at all. Gimli's story and the strange elf had managed to get to me.

At the top of the stairs was a structure that looked like a house to me, but a sort of heavenly glow came out of it. The front of the house was ornately designed, with sweeping patterns allowing for the light to shine through. Another staircase lay in the center of the front of the house, and we came to a halt at the foot of them. Chills rolled down my spine and beads of sweat started appearing on my brow.

The light started getting brighter, and as I shifted my head to see why, my eyes widened. Two figures, each clearly marked with beauty and grace, delicately made their way down to us. I assumed one of them had to be the 'Lady,' considering this looked like the end of our tour through the forest. As the light around them faded, the figure on the right began talking, his voice deep, "Eight there are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him."

I became painfully aware that my jaw was slowly dropping, so I snapped it shut quickly. Focusing my attention on the person I assumed was the 'Lady,' I watched as she spent her time with us scanning our faces. Her eyes grazed over mine, and I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my mind. Cringing, I dropped her gaze for a brief second, then watched as she shifted her attention to Aragorn. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. Her voice soft as soft as snow, she murmured, "He has fallen into Shadow." Sadness crept into her eyes, and her face fell slack slightly. A heavy silence fell over us, until she spoke once more, "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." The 'Lady' fixed her clear, blue eyes on Boromir, and the look of sadness and fear in his eyes made me stop. She continued to stare at him with this mysterious sort of expression, before moving on to look at another member of the Fellowship. "Yet hope remains while the Company is true." Looking up, a small smile appeared on her face, her voice warming up. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil."

Slowly, we were led away from the 'Lady.' I wasn't sure where we were going, but it appeared as though we were heading to our sleeping arrangements. With a conflicted feeling in my chest, I fell in beside Winter. "What was that woman's name?"

Sydni didn't look at me, but her voice was stronger now than it was earlier. "Lady Galadriel."

Keeping my eyes forward, I tried to settle my breathing. "I'm not sure I like her. She kind of freaks me out." The way she looked at us, with those eyes full of mysterious light. I wanted to trust her, but I couldn't bring myself to.

"I wouldn't say that in her realm. Some don't take kindly to being spoken about negatively in their respective realms." Sighing, Sydni looked the other way, clearly wanting to stop talking.

Looking up at the silver leaves, I sighed, wishing for impossible things. If only Gandalf were with us. If only I hadn't joined the quest. If only I were back in my own world.


End file.
